


the court of thorns

by Vitexy



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Angst, Detectives, Fae & Fairies, Hunter!Seonghwa, Hunters & Hunting, M/M, Murder Mystery, Pining, Politics, Slow Burn, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Werewolf!Yunho, fairy!Hongjoong, human!san, i give up on tagging, pls leave me alone, supernatural detectives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:27:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 53,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27542317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vitexy/pseuds/Vitexy
Summary: hongjoong and seonghwa have been reluctant partners for nearly a year now, but their partnership, and relationship, are put to the test when yunho is accused of a murder he did not commit, revealing a plot that has been coming together for months now.this is a side story/sequel tostarcrossed
Relationships: Choi San/Jeong Yunho, Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 27
Kudos: 178





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, I always kind of had the idea for a side story/sequel where seongjoong were like supernatural detectives but never really got the plot off the ground past that. So I will give credit to [RRediKON](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RRediKON/pseuds/RRediKON) for very much breathing life back into this story. I really only got here because of her ideas and request for this story. 
> 
> This is also my first, actual, plot-heavy non-yunsan fic, so hello if you don't know who I am :3 I am a fool for yunsan and them only, and now I will go back to writing them lol. 
> 
> I will update this weekly! It shouldn't be too many chapters, I think only three or four so bear with me you guys. 
> 
> I won't say that reading starcrossed is necessary for understanding this story, however I do think it's useful to understand some of the characters backgrounds and how seonghwa and hongjoong got up to this point. Anyways enjoy!

Yunho wakes up the morning after the full moon feeling very much like he’s been run over by a freight train. He never really feels good after a full moon, but it’s usually not this bad either. His head is absolutely pounding, and he must have really lost himself to the pull of the moon last night because he can barely remember anything that happened. The events are fuzzy in his mind, but he remembers San. The human had been with him the whole time. That, Yunho is absolutely certain of. 

Speaking of the human, however, Yunho reaches out blindly in search of San, but the space beside him on the bed is empty, and Yunho lifts his head up with a little huff. San isn’t anywhere in the bedroom, and, for a brief moment, the werewolf panics, wondering where the human might have gone to. San isn’t a particularly early riser, and his side of the bed is cold although his scent lingers. Then the scent of food wafts into the room, and Yunho immediately knows where San is. 

He finally rolls himself out of bed, his hair all messed up. Rolling his shoulders a few times, Yunho looks down at his naked body and takes stock of himself. His shoulder blades absolutely ache as do his calves. He flexes his fingers a few times before he prods at his jawline. Mostly he’s just sore and tired, nothing surprising for the morning after a full moon. 

Slipping into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, Yunho finally ventures outside of the bedroom, his nose leading him towards the kitchen to where San is standing over the stove. “What are you making?” the werewolf asks, voice sleepy and gruff. 

The human looks over his shoulder to smile at him. “Awake already?” he asks. 

Yunho hums, sneaking his arms around the human’s waist and pulling him flush against his chest. San’s warm body feels nice against his, and Yunho sighs in pleasure. His eyes droop, ready to fall back asleep again at any moment, but San nudges him in the stomach. 

“Go sit down,” the human tells him. “I made you some hangover soup.” 

A little laugh escapes the werewolf at that, but he pulls away from the human to do as he’s told. “Like you always used to?” It had been San’s thing, even before he fully realized what he was doing for Yunho. 

The human presses his lips together at Yunho’s question and glares at him. “It’s not my fault I thought you were  _ actually _ hung over those times. You always said you were going to work dinners! And then you’d roll out of bed looking like this.” 

Yunho hides a giggle behind his hands. “I guess the day after a transformation looks a lot like a hangover.” Then he sighs, settling his chin into his palm while he stares at San’s back as the human finishes up breakfast. The werewolf enjoyed the sight even back in those days when San made him a hangover soup because he thought Yunho had a hangover. Now, though, it feels even more domestic than usual. 

The spell is broken when a knock sounds at their door, and they both look over in unison. It’s late in the morning but still far too early to expect guests. More than that, neither of them are expecting anyone. At least Yunho thinks not. “Who is it?” the werewolf asks, but San only shrugs his shoulders in response. 

“Yeosang?” he guesses. Perhaps something has come up, and the warlock felt the need to visit without warning. “Or maybe Seonghwa? Can you answer it? I’m almost done with breakfast.” 

With a little wince, Yunho forces himself to get out of the chair he just sat down in to make his way over to the door. He half suspects it might be Seonghwa because the hunter has a habit of dropping by unannounced for the most part whenever he wants to update San or just wants to talk in general. Although a part of him rationalizes that it can’t possibly be Seonghwa. He should be at work by this time. Still, he opens the door with the hunter’s name on the tip of his tongue only to yelp when hands grab him by the throat and push him back as Mingi of all people forces his way inside. 

San startles when the sound of the door opening is followed by aggressive growls and snarls, and he hastily shuts the stove off. “Yunho?” he calls for his boyfriend cautiously. 

“Where were you last night?!” 

San rushes around the corner of the kitchen, skidding to a stop when he sees Mingi holding Yunho against the wall by the entryway. Both werewolves are snarling and baring their teeth at each other. San’s never seen a sight like this before, and he’s honestly a little afraid. 

“Mingi,” he calls out to the werewolf. 

Mingi spares him a glance but doesn’t relent on the hold he has around Yunho’s neck. In fact, when Yunho attempts to push him away, Mingi rears back on him, harshly shoving him back into the wall. San startles at the behavior, heart leaping into his throat. Why is Mingi doing this? Why is he even all the way out here? 

“Where were you!” he demands again. 

“He was with me!” San defends, rushing over to the two werewolves. He tries to pull them apart to no avail. Mingi’s grip on Yunho is tight, and Yunho has dug his own hands into the other werewolf’s shirt, holding him at a distance. 

“All night?” Mingi asks the human although his attention remains fixed on Yunho. 

“Yes! Why? What is this about?” 

“Swear to me,” Mingi demands, finally glancing over to San. “Swear to me you were with him all night.” 

San takes a deep breath, practically hanging off of both werewolves’ arms. “I swear I was with Yunho the whole night last night,” he says as calmly as he can. 

Finally, Mingi loosens up his hold enough so that Yunho can yank his hand away from himself. However he keeps his grip around Mingi’s arm to hold him back in case he rears on San next. Yunho is admittedly nervous now that Mingi’s attention seems to have diverted to the human. “Then tell me the truth,” Mingi says to San. “Did he hurt anything? Anyone?” 

Yunho falters at the question, allowing Mingi the opportunity to pull away from him. He doesn’t advance any further on San though, just waits patiently for the human to answer. San balks at the question, shying away from the werewolf. “What? No! He didn’t hurt anyone!” the human denies. “The worst he did was scare the hell out of a rabbit!” 

Mingi blinks, taking a step back at the ferocity in San’s voice. “Huh?” 

However, San mistakes it as an invitation to continue. “Yeah, he saw a rabbit and jumped the poor thing. He left it alone after I yelled at him though, and it limped off.” 

Mingi takes a step back from him, scratching at his head. San’s response hadn’t been what he expected, and he doesn’t know what to make of it. Yunho jumps in then and asks, “What is this about?” 

Mingi finally looks over to the other werewolf, frowning at him. He tips his head down in apology. “We had an incident,” he admits. “Someone in my pack was killed last night.” 

Yunho breathes in deeply, rolling his shoulders back. He takes on a more defensive position while San makes a noise of alarm. “What? And, what? You think Yunho did it?!” The notion is ridiculous to the human. Never mind the fact that San had been with Yunho the entire night, he knows that Yunho isn’t capable of it. There’s no way. 

“You suspect a werewolf is the culprit?” Yunho asks. 

Mingi hesitates, finally lifting his gaze up to meet Yunho’s eyes. “Yes,” he answers after a moment. 

“So?” San butts in again, refusing to stay silent. “Just because you think a werewolf did it that automatically means Yunho is the culprit?” 

“He’s the only packless wolf I know wandering around,” Mingi defends. “I didn’t want to believe it, but I had to be sure.” 

“That’s ridiculous!” 

“It’s reasonable,” Yunho says, shaking his head at San when the human glances at him. 

Unfortunately, San doesn’t take the hint to keep quiet. “How is it reasonable?” he demands. “Mingi  _ knows _ you. He should know better! Why would you kill anyone, let alone one of his packmates?” 

“San,” Yunho warns him. “Later.” 

“It’s fine,” Mingi cuts in for them. He raises his hands up in surrender as he looks between the couple. “I believe you. Honestly, I do. I didn’t truly suspect you, Yunho, but it’s comforting to know that San can at least attest to your whereabouts.” 

Yunho frowns, not the least bit satisfied by Mingi’s response. “Your pack suspects me,” he concludes. 

Mingi nods his head. “I’m afraid it won’t be so easy to convince them otherwise.” 

San looks between the werewolves, his expression filled with disbelief. Mingi bows his head as he apologizes profusely and tries to reassure them that he’ll let his pack mates know about Yunho’s whereabouts last night. Yunho tells him not to worry about it; even with San’s word, he’s not sure they’ll believe him. San can’t help but note the way Yunho holds himself unnaturally straight and stiff as the werewolves exchange words. 

He’d been running for other packs his whole life for a reason, no? San worries that he’s about to find out why. 

“Well, he didn’t do it,” San says fiercely, when Mingi reluctantly agrees that his packmates will probably swing by with some more questions. “You can tell your pack that. And they are  _ not _ welcome here if they just want to interrogate us some more!” 

“It won’t be as easy as that,” Mingi says regretfully. “Perhaps if you both could come with me and testify on Yunho’s behalf that would convince them,” he suggests. 

San prickles at the idea, but looks to Yunho for guidance. The werewolf only shakes his head, uncertain that it will be helpful, but also hopeful that San’s word will be enough. “Fine,” San concedes for the both of them. “We’ll go with you.” 

  
  
  
  


Seonghwa presses his lips into a thin line and smacks the coffee machine when the light blinks green and it whirs to life but no coffee comes forth. Hongjoong glances up at him when he nearly sends the coffee machine to the floor. He makes an alarmed noise in the back of his throat and hisses, drawing the human’s attention. “Don’t abuse the coffee machine,” he scolds him. 

“It’s broken,” Seonghwa complains, smacking it again though with less force this time. 

“It’s not broken,” Hongjoong denies, sinking back down into his desk chair to stare at his phone. 

Seonghwa frowns down at his empty mug before glancing back to the coffee machine one more time. “It’s definitely broken,” he says. 

Without looking up from his phone screen, Hongjoong reaches out to push his mug forward. “I have coffee,” he says like that’s proof that he’s right. “It’s not broken.” Seonghwa strides forward and reaches out for Hongjoong’s mug only for the fae to snatch it away before he can grab it. “What are you doing?” Hongjoong hisses at him. 

Seonghwa sputters, “You don’t even like coffee!” 

“It’s growing on me,” Hongjoong retorts. 

“Well, can’t you make me a cup then?” the human asks, waving his empty mug around. 

“Why do I have to make it for you?” 

“Because _clearly_ the coffee machine feels like working for you. I don’t know, didn’t you use some weird fae magic to get it to work or something?” 

Hongjoong bristles at the question. “Fae magic does not work like—” He’s unable to finish his sentence when Seonghwa shoves his mug in his face. 

“Thanks,” the human says.

Hongjoong glares at up at as he rips the mug from Seonghwa’s grip, but the human only arches an eyebrow in challenge. “Fine,” the fae agrees petulantly as he pushes his chair back to stand up. “I’ll show you how to use the coffee machine  _ properly _ so you don’t bother me again.” 

Theirs is a curious partnership no doubt. Mostly brokered by Yeosang who seemed to think they had the potential to do good and work well together. 

“You worked together to track down a human I hid,” the warlock had reasoned when they’d expressed doubts about his idea. “I think you’ll find detective work to be lacking amongst us Supernaturals.” 

He’d been right about that at the very least. Work was steady for the most part, although there had been a lag with cases lately. Today is one of those slow days which is why Seonghwa apparently sees fit to hover over Hongjoong’s shoulder as the fae stews in front of the coffee machine and tries to brew a cup for him. 

“What was that about it not being broken?” Seonghwa asks when Hongjoong stares at his mug like the cup is the problem.

“Well, you clearly broke it,” Hongjoong accuses. 

“You were the last one to use it!” 

“And it was working then! What’s your point?” 

Seonghwa opens his mouth to answer but stops short when someone catches his attention in his periphery. Looking up, he’s surprised to see San standing in the doorway of their office, looking between the two of them curiously. “San,” he greets his old partner, straightening up as San tentatively steps into the office. Hongjoong turns his head to spare the human one look, notices Yunho isn’t with him, and abandons Seonghwa’s cup on the counter to head back for his desk. 

“Hey,” San greets, a brief smile pulling at his lips before it quickly drops. Seonghwa is immediately concerned, even more so when he realizes he’s on his own. 

“Where’s Yunho?” he asks. It’s rare to see one without the other lately. Yunho isn’t exactly his favorite person, but he feels his absence at San’s side so distinctly. 

Hongjoong glances over at the mention of his friend but otherwise busies himself by pretending to be busy. He flips through a few piles of papers on his desk, but Seonghwa knows that he’s eavesdropping. 

“He…” San’s voice breaks before he can even finish his thought. 

That grabs Hongjoong’s attention, and the fae practically leaps over his desk to lunge for the human. “Where’s Yunho?” he demands, reaching out for San only for Seonghwa to grab him by the waist and swing him around before he can touch San. “Did something happen to him?” He struggles in Seonghwa’s grasp, wiggling against the human’s body as Seonghwa grunts and holds him tightly to his chest. 

San licks his lips and stares at the two of them with a helpless expression. “He’s in trouble,” he answers and bites down on his bottom lip. Seonghwa quickly scans his old partner from head to toe. He doesn’t look injured. Did something happen last night? 

“What is it?” Seonghwa asks, fingers tightening around Hongjoong’s waist when the fae claws at his hands. “Did something happen last night?” 

San shakes his head adamantly. “No, nothing happened, but Mingi’s pack thinks he killed someone,” he says. 

They both freeze up at that, and even Seonghwa seems repulsed by the thought. “They think Yunho killed someone?” the older human asks. “Why?” 

“What happened?” Hongjoong demands as he fights his way out of Seonghwa’s hold. “What happened to Mingi’s pack?” 

“Someone died last night,” San explains. “They said it was another werewolf who did it, so they suspect Yunho. I was with him the whole night though. Nothing happened!” 

“Then tell them that,” Hongjoong says. “Tell them they have the wrong person—” 

“They don’t believe me,” San interrupts. “They think I’m biased. That I’m giving him a false alibi. We went together to try and clear things up, but now they’re holding him prisoner. They think he did it!” He looks to Seonghwa with wide, pleading eyes. “I’ll hire you guys. Can’t you clear him of suspicion?” 

Hongjoong scoffs, insulted by the notion. “I don’t need your money to rescue my pack,” he says. “This is a farce. I’ll settle this right now.” He turns to look up at Seonghwa who remains quiet, expression puzzled. “Stop thinking,” he snaps at the human. “Let’s go. You’re driving.” 

  
  
  
  


“Why would they suspect Yunho?” Seonghwa asks as he slams his door shut at. He parked the car at the trailhead that leads to the pack’s land. San scrambles out of the back seat, and Seonghwa looks to him for an answer. 

Instead Hongjoong says, “Because they’re fools.” 

Seonghwa glances at the fae from over the roof of the car, lips pinched together in a frown. He looks back to San when the younger man closes his door and hopes for something a little more informative. “They’re the only pack in the area,” San explains. “And they seem sure that it was a werewolf who killed their packmate. Yunho is packless, and so suspicion fell on him.” 

“That’s a rocky basis,” Seonghwa remarks as they make their way into werewolf territory. 

“I guess it’s the way werewolves operate,” San says before pursing his lips together in a frustrated frown. “I tried to explain that I was with him the whole night. We didn’t even come close to their territory, but they dismissed me. Said they wouldn’t trust my word given our relationship.” 

“And then they kept him?” 

“They said they’d give him a fair trial, although it sounds like a sham to me,” San says. “They said a life must be paid with a life though.” 

“They want to kill him?” Seonghwa asks sharply. 

San shakes his head, jawline tightening. “Like I’d let them,” he growls under his breath before releasing a sigh. “But I also know it wouldn’t be in our best interest to start a fight with a pack. Mingi said he would try to convince them. Asked if I could get anyone else to verify his whereabouts last night. We were on our own though, so I figured I could ask you and Hongjoong to do...something.”

“Are you worried?” Seonghwa asks. 

“I don’t know,” San admits. “Yunho’s been calm about the whole thing which is helping me, but they want to kill him. For something he didn’t even do. How am I supposed to not worry about that?” 

Seonghwa glances over to Hongjoong, staring at the fae’s back as he leads the humans forward. He takes note of the fae’s tense shoulders and his fingers curled into tight fists. Seonghwa can tell that he’s furious. “I wouldn’t worry too much,” he assures his friend. “Yunho is his pack, and it’s not like Hongjoong would let anything happen to him.” 

“It’s just unfair,” San whispers. “They’re just pointing the finger at him because he’s convenient. They don’t have any proof other than a werewolf attacked. It could have been one of their own.” 

“He’s packless,” Seonghwa reminds him. “There’s a reason most packless werewolves don’t survive long.” 

They slow to a halt when Mingi and the pack Alpha come to greet them. “More witnesses?” the Alpha asks, surveying Hongjoong and Seonghwa. 

“Detectives, actually,” Hongjoong says, puffing out his chest. The Alpha towers over him, taller and broader in every sense of the word, but Hongjoong doesn’t back down at all, and Seonghwa can’t help the small laugh that escapes him at the sight. “I demand you release the werewolf in your custody. He’s being falsely imprisoned, and his mate is opposed.” 

“Mate?” The Alpha snorts, eyes trailing over to San who seems confused. “That human? Do not try to lie to me, fae. They are not mates. His desires hold no weight here.” 

“Did I stutter?” Hongjoong grits out. “I tell no lie. You simply choose not to recognize it. And that doesn’t change the fact that he has been falsely accused.” 

“And do you have proof?” The Alpha asks. 

Hongjoong’s lips curl up, revealing sharp fangs as his glamour wears thin. Seonghwa places a hand on his shoulder to help keep his anger at bay. “And what proof do you have that he is the culprit?” he asks, taking over for the fae. 

“He’s a packless wolf within my territory,” the Alpha snarls. “What more do I need to suspect him?” 

“The city is not _yours_ ,” Hongjoong snaps. “These mountains are yours.” 

“You have someone who says he was with Yunho the whole night. Is that not enough to run contradictory to your accusation?” Seonghwa asks. 

“I have the word of one human who sleeps with the packless wolf. I do not  _ trust _ his word,” the Alpha retorts. 

“And yet you refuse to acknowledge him as his mate,” Hongjoong snaps back just as quickly. “If it is enough to discredit him as a witness, then I demand that you honor his wish to release his mate until a proper trial is performed.” 

The Alpha bares his teeth at the fae, lifting himself up to loom over Hongjoong. Seonghwa moves his hand over the fae’s shoulder, pressing his hand between Hongjoong’s shoulder blades to keep him steady. “I refuse,” the Alpha says, clearly unsatisfied with Hongjoong’s lack of reaction. “Unless you can offer proof to the contrary then we will proceed as planned.” 

“Then I want to see the body,” Hongjoong demands. “I’ll prove that you’re wrong.” 

The Alpha glares down at him, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of outsiders meddling in their affairs, but Hongjoong holds steady. It’s not a request the werewolf can deny, not when they’re here on San and Yunho’s behalf. “Very well—” 

“I’d also like to look at the site where you found the body,” Seonghwa adds. 

Sighing, the Alpha looks at Mingi and jerks his head in their direction. “Show the human around. I’ll deal with the fae.”

Hongjoong waves Seonghwa off when the human pats his back and asks if he’s okay. “Just find something good,” he tells the human as he pulls away to follow the Alpha. “Take San with you.” 

“But—” 

Hongjoong doesn’t even let him try to protest. “You were both hunters at some point, no?” He turns to stare at San pointedly. “You’ll be of more use there than with me. Find something good to get Yunho out of this mess.” 

San still seems reluctant to leave, staring at Hongjoong like the fae might change his mind if he just wills it enough, so he can’t help but sigh in relief when Seonghwa finally touches his old partner on the elbow and murmurs something to him. Whatever it is is apparently convincing enough because San finally turns away with a frustrated breath and follows after Mingi. 

Hongjoong silently thanks Seonghwa in his head for drawing San away before he motions for the Alpha to lead the way. 

Werewolves are said to mourn their dead for weeks with funeral rights that stretch on for days. Hongjoong knows he should be careful when dealing with one of their corpses while in their presence, but he finds very little sympathy for the wolf they lay before him. Perhaps under different circumstances he might offer the wolf a prayer, words of guidance in his native tongue, but he doesn’t because this werewolf’s body held his family’s life in its very hands. 

Hongjoong is callous as he examines the corpse. He rolls it over, scanning the corpse from head to toe for the fatal injury and finds two. There’s a long jagged series of claw marks down this werewolf’s ribcage and a bloody bite mark around his neck. Hongjoong’s hand hovers over the claw marks, tracing down them with his brows furrowed together before he looks back to the bite mark at the neck. 

It’s hard to tell without seeing the blood that is no doubt left at the scene, but he’s fairly certain the bite is the fatal injury. The kill wasn’t clean, but it wasn’t messy easier. The claw marks are indicative of that. Hongjoong notes the shallowness of the claw marks as opposed to the clear viciousness in the bite marks. One of these had been hesitant. The other was meant to kill. 

More importantly than that, Hongjoong has all the proof he needs. He sits back on his haunches and turns to stare at the Head Alpha. “Bring your suspect here,” he demands. “Transformed. I’ll prove that it wasn’t him.” 

The Alpha sneers at him, clearly not a fan of the fae. “How?” he demands. 

“Bring him here and I’ll show you,” Hongjoong says. Then he crosses his arms over his chest and waits. 

It takes far too long, in his opinion, before he hears the soft padding sound of paws, and he turns to look over his shoulder as Yunho is brought in. He recognizes the wolf immediately and holds his arms open in invitation. Yunho takes it, nuzzling his snout into Hongjoong’s chest as soon as he’s close enough. 

“The proof,” the Head Alpha reminds him. 

Glaring at him from over Yunho’s head, Hongjoong reluctantly pulls away and beckons the Alpha closer. “The wolf who killed yours was either a pup or significantly smaller,” he says, pointing to the claw marks on the side. Then he snaps his fingers at Yunho and points to the wound. 

Yunho obediently follows his order, placing one paw carefully at the top of the wound before ever so gently flexing his claws. It’s not to desecrate the body but merely show how his paw dwarfs the size of the wound inflicted on the wolf. 

“As you can see, Yunho would have left  _ much _ larger marks in his wake,” Hongjoong explains. “The same goes for the fatal wound here,” he moves his hands up to point at the wolf’s neck, “however, I’ll spare you from that reenactment out of respect. Yunho is too big to have caused these wounds. He’s not the wolf who did this.” 

The Head Alpha frowns at him, clearly displeased and suspicious. He argues, “How is that proof? Perhaps he simply left shallower marks and a smaller bite to throw us off his trail.” 

“That’s awfully presumptive of you considering he was your  _ very _ first and only suspect as far as I can tell,” Hongjoong quips back. “It’s also rather bold to assume that a werewolf, under the throes and pull of the full moon, would have the self-control to do such a thing. Yunho isn’t your killer, and if you would honor your dead you would do that by finding the real one.” 

Yunho removes his paw from the body and presses his cold, wet nose to Hongjoong’s cheek—a reprimand and a reminder. Hongjoong isn’t helping anything by antagonizing this Alpha. The fae relents and backs down on the insults although he continues to press his case. 

“The fact remains that Yunho is too large to have inflicted these wounds, not to mention you have testimony that he wasn’t even close to the area,” Hongjoong argues. “You have the wrong wolf.” 

The Alpha’s lips twitch up into a small snarl, and Hongjoong can tell that he’s clearly unsatisfied. “I do not think this is proof,” he denies adamantly. “Just because they are smaller wounds doesn’t mean this packless alpha didn’t do it. How do I know he didn’t inflict larger wounds on purpose? Especially if he was with a human. How do I know the human doesn’t have some degree of control over him during a full moon?” 

Hongjoong pouts his lips and rolls his shoulders back as he stands up to his full height—nowhere near the Alpha’s tall stature—but he draws on the old air of a court fae to make up for it. The urge to scream builds in the back of his throat. This man was unreasonable. He is unreasonable and lazy. He wants to throw Yunho under the bus because it’s the simplest explanation for him, and he cannot comprehend a different possibility. 

Yunho presses his head against his hip, and Hongjoong immediately deflates. “You are blind to your grief,” he criticizes. “Executing the wrong culprit will not bring peace to your pack.” 

“I have the right culprit,” the Alpha snarls back. 

“Shall we see what my partner has found then?” Hongjoong suggests, hoping that Seonghwa has found something even the Alpha wouldn’t be able to repute. 

  
  
  
  


Seonghwa presses his tongue to his cheek as he circles the spot where the werewolf had fallen. San kneels next to the bloodstain grass and scans it over while Mingi hovers further away from them, unable to look at the bloody scene. And it is bloody. Seonghwa frowns and briefly wonders what the body must look like. 

“Well, he definitely wouldn’t have survived this,” San remarks. 

“That’s obvious,” Seonghwa agrees as he gives their surroundings a quick scan. “Did the attack start and finish here though? And where was his attacker hiding?” 

San eyes the bloody patch for an answer to at least one of Seonghwa’s questions. Did the attack occur here or was this simply the place the wolf fell? He pivots on the balls of his feet and crawls away from the blood patch in the direction Mingi’s pack lives. It only takes a few steps before he spots it—little flecks of blood in the grass.

“He was attacked earlier,” San calls out, following the trail of blood a few feet away from the patch they were at. “Not much earlier though,” he notes as he pushes himself to his feet. Seonghwa comes over to take a look at his findings. 

“It wasn’t a prolonged attack then,” Seonghwa notes, bending at his knees to take a closer look at San’s discovery. “It was quick, but where did his attacker come from?” He looks around at the trees lining the clearing that they’re in. All good for potential cover, but something about it feels off to the ex-hunter. 

He beckons for Mingi to come closer. The werewolf hesitates before taking a few steps closer, nose curling up in disgust when the scent of blood hits his nostrils. “You sure a werewolf killed your pack mate?” Seonghwa asks when he’s close enough. Mingi covers his nose with one arm and nods his head. “You sure? It couldn’t have been some other large animal?” Seonghwa presses. 

“I know what a werewolf attack looks like,” Mingi growls out. 

“Why?” San asks. “Is something wrong?” 

Seonghwa shakes his head, unsure of his suspicions. “I don’t know. Something just doesn’t feel right about this. Don’t you think so?” he asks San. 

San cups his chin thoughtfully and stares down at the blood stained grass at their feet. “The timing does feel strange,” he murmurs. 

“Exactly,” Seonghwa agrees, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “It feels suspicious that a werewolf would die to another werewolf on the night of a full moon.” 

San cocks his head to the side. “But doesn’t that make sense in a way? They lose control of themselves. Wouldn’t it make the most sense that a werewolf would do this on a full moon night?” 

“In the middle of a pack’s territory?” Seonghwa points out. “And the culprit must be either from another pack or another lone wolf. There’s no way a fellow pack mate would get away with this.” 

“There are no packs that would be able to just pass by or through without us knowing,” Mingi confirms. “And there have been no such packs for awhile. We know the culprit is a lone wolf.” 

San scowls at the conclusion. That’s why they’d come for Yunho. He was the only lone wolf they knew, but wouldn’t that just make it an extremely stupid move on Yunho’s part? 

“Think about what you’re implying,” Seonghwa argues. “Yunho would have had to wander all the way out of the city and into your territory on the night of the full moon. And what? To attack another wolf? What reason would he even have to come all the way out here? Even before he would run through the city during the full moon.” He exchanges a look with San who averts his gaze, fingers curling into his shirt to suppress the guilt. “Your pack mate died on his own lands, in an area that should have been safe, and his attacker made quick work of him and then disappeared before you even knew something was wrong. Does that sound like a wolf under the influence of a moon to you?” 

“What are you saying?” Mingi demands. “That this was a planned attack?” 

Seonghwa shrugs because it’s just a theory. “I’m not sure, but it looks like it to me. This looks like a hunter kill.” 

San tenses up at the observation. “But they said it was another wolf, right? Wouldn’t the culprit also be under the influence of the moon in that case?” 

“That’s the part that’s concerning me,” Seonghwa admits. “That’s why I’m not entirely sure it was a werewolf who attacked.” He steps over the bloody grass, careful to not disturb the little evidence they have and starts searching the ground for more clues. “What is Yunho like?” he asks San as he carefully combs through the grass. “After a full moon.” 

“What do you mean?” San asks, falling into step next to Seonghwa as he also searches for something. Anything. 

“How’s his memory? I’ve heard werewolves are truly gone during a full moon transformation. Does he remember much the next day?” 

“Sometimes,” San says with a shrug. “But nothing clearly if he does. It’s kind of like he’s hungover.” 

“And during it? How in control is he?” 

“He’s...controllable,” San says carefully, shooting Mingi a suspicious look like the werewolf might use his words against him. “He listens to me if I tell him to do something or leave something alone,” he clarifies. “But he’s...animalistic and driven by instinct more than anything. But he didn’t do this!” 

“I know,” Seonghwa says, pausing when he catches sight of something. “I’m just trying to get a baseline for their behavior. I’m not much of a werewolf expert.” He kneels down to stare at the impression of a paw print in the mud. He narrows his eyes but doesn’t say anything. Everything about this keeps getting weirder in his opinion. 

He’s pulled from his thoughts by the arrival of the Head Alpha with Hongjoong and a werewolf at his heels. Seonghwa straightens up when the fae strides over to him with his expression pinched up into one of obvious displeasure. Great. 

Unlike him, San squeals when he sees Hongjoong and the werewolf approach, completely ignoring the fae in favor of running to Yunho. He meets the werewolf halfway and drops to his knees to wrap his arms around Yunho’s neck, relieved to see the werewolf is unharmed. Seonghwa watches them with some degree of envy and flinches away when Hongjoong storms up to him, towering over the kneeling human. 

“Tell me you found something,” the fae hisses. 

“Did you not find something?” Seonghwa asks as he slowly lifts himself back up. 

“That Head Alpha is stubborn as a bull and stupid to boot,” the fae complains, gnawing on his bottom lip. “The wolf who killed theirs is smaller than Yunho. The wounds show that, but he’s convinced that Yunho just made a smaller bite.” Hongjoong scoffs at the idea and glares up at the human because he  _ needs _ something definitive. Like right now. 

Seonghwa looks past the fae’s shoulder to Yunho, taking in his large form and silently agrees that he does seem too large to be the culprit. “I just found some footprints,” he says, pointing to the mud so Hongjoong can see for himself. “I’d also say our suspect is on the smaller side based on that.” 

Hongjoong nudges Seonghwa out of the way to take a look at the paw print. Seonghwa grunts, taking a step back when Hongjoong pushes him aside, but catches himself before he can trip. He hisses his displeasure at the fae’s behavior, but Hongjoong doesn’t pay him any attention because he’s too pleased with Seonghwa’s discovery. 

“Alpha,” he calls over his shoulder to beckon the pack leader closer. Disgruntled, the werewolf approaches him. Hongjoong also motions for Yunho to come closer as well. “We found some evidence of the culprit,” he announces when the werewolves are close enough. 

He motions to the pawprint in the mud before grabbing one of Yunho’s paw to bring it closer. There’s an obvious difference in size that even the Alpha can’t explain away, and Hongjoong’s lips curl up in satisfaction. “As I’ve said repeatedly now, you have the wrong wolf,” he says as he picks himself up. “Unless, of course, you have some kind of explanation for how my friend shrunk his paw last night.” 

The Alpha grits his teeth but says nothing because there’s no more arguing to be done. He stares at Yunho’s paw next to the paw print and sighs before turning to face the accused werewolf. “Very well. It seems you are innocent,” he grumbles reluctantly. 

San drapes himself over Yunho’s back, relieved to hear those words from the Head Alpha’s mouth, and he digs his fingers into Yunho’s fur. Hongjoong catches his friend’s gaze and jerks his chin in Seonghwa’s direction. “We’ll take you home,” he says.

“Hold on,” the Alpha calls out when they make to leave. “I’ll agree that this packless wolf didn’t commit the kill, but then who did?” 

Hongjoong shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t know. A smaller wolf.” He motions Yunho closer, guiding him towards Seonghwa with San still clinging to his back. 

“Will you not find the true culprit?” the Alpha demands when Hongjoong tries to usher them all back towards the car. 

“No,” the fae answers coldly. “You made the first mistake when you threatened  _ my _ pack off nothing more than a baseless claim. More than that, I was hired to prove that he,” he motions to Yunho, “was innocent. I did that. I don’t care who killed your pack mate. That’s  _ your _ problem, not mine. Unless you wish to hire us, that is.” 

  
  
  
  


Seonghwa winces when Hongjoong slams the front door of their apartment behind him. The fae storms passed him and into his own room. The human watches him go with a frown, thinking that his anger is a little blown out of proportion and unjustified. He thinks about leaving the fae alone to stew on it, but if anything it will only backfire on him if they don’t address it now. Seonghwa would just have to say the wrong thing and Hongjoong would snap at him. 

Tentatively, he follows after the fae, stopping just outside the door to his room. Hongjoong immediately turns to look at him when he’s at the door with this defiant look in his eyes like Seonghwa is here to challenge him. Seonghwa hesitates before he finally asks, “Why are you so upset?” Hongjoong’s lips puff out into a pout and he turns away from the human. Seonghwa sighs and steps into the room. “You were the one who offered our services,” he reminds the fae. 

“I didn’t think he’d take it,” Hongjoong complains. “Werewolves are notoriously stubborn and prideful. Worse than vampires if you asked me. I was  _ mocking _ him. I didn’t think he’d actually turn around and hire us!” 

“Is that such a bad thing?” Seonghwa asks. “It’s a job, and you get to take money from them.” 

“They wanted to kill Yunho,” Hongjoong snaps. “I’m not exactly partial to helping them.” 

Sighing, Seonghwa places his hands on his hips and stares down at the fae who’s hunched over their accounting book with the Alpha’s check in hand. “Do you want me to investigate on my own?” he suggests. 

Hongjoong snorts at the idea, carefully closing their account book and shoving it back into one of his drawers. “Like you could do it without me,” he quips. 

Seonghwa glares at his hunched form. “Well, no offense, but you don’t seem completely fit to be working this case.” 

“I’m perfectly capable,” Hongjoong snaps back, glaring up at Seonghwa from over his shoulder. “But it’s an impossible task anyways. They want us to track down another lone wolf? How? He could be long gone by now. He  _ should _ be if he knows what’s good for him.”

“You sure about that? I’m an ex-hunter and you’re a fae. We tracked down San, don’t you think we can track down a werewolf?” Seonghwa challenges. 

Hongjoong releases a long suffering sigh, the kind he tends to release when he agrees with Seonghwa but doesn’t want to admit it. “Yes, I suppose if we really put our minds to it we could find their murderer, but that’s a lot of effort. Their attacker is probably long gone by now. Maybe I should ask for more money, really milk them for the trouble.” 

“I don’t know about that,” Seonghwa murmurs as he carefully approaches the fae. Hongjoong stiffens up when the human places his hands at the base of his neck, slowly rubbing his thumbs into the skin there. Seonghwa doesn’t say anything though, and Hongjoong doesn’t ask what he’s doing. “Something about this whole thing is bothering me,” Seonghwa remarks as he continues to massage the fae’s shoulders. 

“What?” Hongjoong asks curiously. 

“Werewolves tend to cause the most trouble during the full moon because they’re uncontrollable. That’s why we would hunt them on those nights only for the most part. If a lone wolf stumbled across that pack’s territory and got into a fight, I would have expected it to be a lot messier, but that kill was pretty clean,” Seonghwa explains. “Mingi told us that they couldn’t even pick up on the attacker’s scent. It was like a hunter’s kill.” 

Hongjoong briefly glances back at the human before quickly melting into his touch when Seonghwa kneads a particularly tight knot. “What are you saying? That a hunter did it?” he asks. “I saw the body. It was definitely a werewolf.” 

“What if hunters were behind it though?” Seonghwa asks. “What if they’ve found us?” 

“Since when were you so paranoid?” Hongjoong snorts. “They lost their lead when they lost you and San’s sister, and they’ve been quiet for months now. Even if that were the case, what would they gain out of this? Would they even stoop so low as to hire a werewolf to do their deed?” 

Seonghwa licks his lips, pressing his thumbs to the base of Hongjoong’s neck. “I suppose you’re right. I don’t know though. Something still feels off about the whole thing.” 

“I doubt it’s some kind of conspiracy,” Hongjoong assures him. “It was probably just a lone werewolf who picked a fight and won. And now we somehow have to track his ass down.” Sighing, he twists around to look at Seonghwa only to flinch back when he realizes how close the human is. Seonghwa just stares back at him with a serious expression, head just slightly tilted. 

Hongjoong parts his lips to ask him what the hell he’s staring for, but his breath catches in his throat when Seonghwa scoots closer to him. The human doesn’t say anything before he catches the fae’s bottom lip between his, gently sucking on it. Hongjoong’s eyes flutter, and he presses closer to Seonghwa, hands coming up to grab the human’s waist. 

It’s a soft kiss, not unlike their first. Hongjoong fists the hem of Seonghwa’s shirt, tongue licking into the human’s mouth when he finally realizes what he’s doing. His hands move up to the human’s chest and he shoves him back with a sputter. “What are you doing?” he demands. 

Seonghwa doesn’t say anything. He just pries Hongjoong’s hands from him by the wrist before he pushes himself to his feet. Wordlessly, he leaves the fae in the middle of his room, stunned at the human’s audacity. 

“Hey!” Hongjoong yells at him, annoyed when Seonghwa doesn’t even spare him a look. “I asked what you were doing!” 

  
  
  
  


To say that finding a lone wolf in the city would be difficult is an understatement. Seonghwa feels a similar frustration as with the time he spent tracking down San only with significantly less personal motivation involved. Hongjoong had a point. They could do the job, but would it be worth it? The extra money Mingi shows up with for their meeting demonstrates that it might be. 

“Let’s go over what we know again,” Hongjoong announces as Yunho and Mingi both quickly reach for the plate of fried chicken when San comes around to deliver it to their table. Wooyoung’s bar might not be the most discreet place to meet, but it is a familiar one. 

“Hold on,” Seonghwa says, holding a hand in front of Hongjoong to stop him. “Before that, there’s something I think we should just clarify first.” The fae looks up at him at the same time that both werewolves do. San drapes an arm over Yunho’s shoulder and leans against the werewolf. Seonghwa turns his attention to Mingi who’s busy cleaning his bone of all the meat and collagen he can. “Can we be absolutely sure no one in your pack is the attacker?” 

Mingi nearly sucks the chicken bone down his throat at Seonghwa’s question. “Absolutely not!” the wolf exclaims once he’s caught his breath. “None of my pack mates would do such a thing!” 

“I know you wouldn’t want to think any of them would be capable of it, but are you absolutely sure that none of them could?” 

“It’s unlikely,” Yunho volunteers when Mingi can do no more than sputter in disbelief. “If someone from their own pack had done it, they would have been able to pick up on the scent quickly. They never would have gotten to the point where they suspected me in that case.” He glances over to Mingi who nods his head in agreement. “I think it’s safe to say it was an unknown werewolf who attacked.” 

“Okay,” Seonghwa concedes easily, holding his hands up in surrender when Mingi looks at him sharply. “I just want to make sure we eliminate everyone we can.” He looks back to Hongjoong and motions for him to continue. 

“So let’s go over what we know,” the fae repeats, sending Seonghwa a petulant side eye. “A werewolf was, in fact, the culprit,” he begins. “He’s a werewolf on the smaller side, either a pup or a small wolf. He inflicted two wounds as far as I could tell, a gash to the side, and a fatal bite wound to the neck.” 

“Based on the scene of the incident, it was a very short attack,” San supplies, looking over to Seonghwa for approval. The older human tilts his head forward in acknowledgement and allows San to continue. “It looked like a sneak attack that was over in a matter of minutes. The victim never even got a chance to try and defend himself.”

“Not exactly what you would expect from a werewolf scrap,” Hongjoong mumbles under his breath, ignoring the accusatory look Seonghwa sends him. 

“It is pretty abnormal,” Yunho agrees, holding in a giggle when San tickles one of his ears. He reaches up to smack the human’s hand away and clears his throat when Hongjoong glares at them. “It seems targeted. Was this werewolf talking to anyone outside of the pack?” he asks Mingi.

Mingi shakes his head, “No, I don’t know. Most of us are pretty isolationists. I’m one of the few that ever leave to come into the city.” He gulps, looking around at everyone gathered at the table with wide eyes. “Wait, do I need to be worried now?” 

“None of us have the time or effort to waste in killing you,” Hongjoong assures him as he presses his fingers to his temples and thinks. 

“Speaking of time and effort wasted,” Wooyoung announces loudly as he comes by their table. The mermaid places his hands on top of Yunho’s shoulders. The werewolf tenses up from his grip while San pulls away, taking a few steps back from his boss. “Yunho,” the mermaid croons his name in a threatening manner, squeezing the werewolf’s shoulders hard. “I would appreciate it if you stopped monopolizing my employee’s attention when I need him to work.” 

“Ah,” Yunho whimpers in pain when the mermaid digs his nails into his skin. “I didn’t do anything. He’s the one who’s not working.” 

“You chose to come here knowing full well that he’s on shift tonight and…” his gaze travels over to the human who averts his gaze and pretends to be busy by gathering up any empty glasses. “He’s an absolute fucking fool for you,” the mermaid finishes monotonously. 

San pouts at his boss. “I’m working,” he defends. 

“Work harder,” Wooyoung snaps at him. “Back to the bar you go.” 

Pout still in place, San slinks back over to the bar, occasionally casting a longing look over at their table. 

Hongjoong’s eyebrows furrow together after he fully processed Yunho’s words. “That doesn’t make any sense,” he says, lifting his head up to stare at his friend. “How would a werewolf have the control to commit a calculated murder like that on the night of a full moon?” 

“That’s what I was trying to tell you before,” Seonghwa grumbles under his breath. Hongjoong spares him an annoyed look before turning to Yunho, but the werewolf shakes his head. 

“I don’t know,” he answers. He hunches down a little in his seat with a pained look on his face. “In all honesty, if it weren’t for San I don’t know...I might have believed I actually did it too. I don’t remember anything. I don’t know if I attacked anyone.” 

“It wasn’t you,” Hongjoong cuts in. “Besides San, we  _ proved _ that you are far too big to have been the culprit. It wasn’t you.” In spite of his words, Yunho doesn’t seem any more satisfied, picking at one of his chicken bones dejectedly. Sensing his dissatisfaction, the fae adds, “Yunho, I’ve run with you on the full moon almost since you were a pup, and I kept you out of danger because you would listen to me. I hate to admit it, but you still do that now, perhaps even better with San. If you trust no one else at least trust your mate. He wouldn’t lead you astray.” 

Yunho’s gaze wanders over to San who’s busy mixing drinks at the bar, and he relents to Hongjoong’s words. “You’re right,” he concedes, chest tightening as he stares at the human. _His_ human. 

“But that still leaves us with the mystery of a werewolf who can apparently control himself under a full moon,” Seonghwa points out. 

“Maybe that wolf has someone like San too,” Mingi suggests. 

Seonghwa looks at Hongjoong who averts his gaze, refusing to buy into any sort of conspiracy. “We find the wolf and we’ll find our answer,” the fae determines. 

“And how do you suggest we go about doing that?” 

Wooyoung looks around the table as his hands finally fall away from Yunho’s shoulders. “Why don’t you ask Yongsun?” he suggests.

“Who’s that?” Hongjoong asks. 

“Local clan leader. She’s a vampire.” He looks at Seonghwa nervously. “She’s an awful gossip and keeps close tabs on anyone and everyone who comes in and out of the city. She’s very old though. And very powerful. Don’t get any funny ideas.” 

Seonghwa releases an exasperated sigh at the mermaid’s obtuse behavior. “I’m not going to kill a vampire just because she’s a vampire,” he says. 

Wooyoung relaxes, pleased to hear the confirmation. “Well, good. She’s a very good patron of mine, and she might have a useful lead.” 

  
  
  
  


Wooyoung is kind enough to broker a meeting with Yongsun for them which Hongjoong is grateful for. What the mermaid forgets to mention is her absolutely voracious interest in humans and humans only. From the second they walk into the private room at her clan’s club, she has eyes for Seonghwa and Seonghwa only. Hongjoong tells himself that it’s not jealousy stabbing through his heart when he notices her interest. It’s just annoying. Definitely just annoying. 

“These are the detectives I was talking about,” Wooyoung explains as he motions to Seonghwa and Hongjoong. 

“You didn’t tell me one of them was a delectable looking human,” she purrs, winking at Seonghwa when he just glares at her. 

“I don’t suppose Wooyoung mentioned I’m a trained hunter,” he says casually, but Yongsun’s eyes only twinkle with interest. 

“I love it,” she says, leaning forward to brace her arms on her knees. “Docile humans are great, but nothing is as fun as a human that can fight back. It makes it all the more exciting, you know? The threat of dying.” She giggles at the unimpressed look Seonghwa levels her with. “Wooyoung tells me you’ve come looking for information.” 

“Yes, we’re investigating—” Hongjoong cuts himself off when she raises a palm up to stop him, and that’s definitely annoyance flaring in his gut right now. He glowers when she continues to stare at Seonghwa like she wants to devour him. Maybe she does. 

“I’m willing to trade any information for a taste of you,” she offers. 

Hongjoong clears his throat loudly, unable to take her flirtations any longer. He steps in front of Seonghwa like it will somehow create a barrier between the vampire and human. “No,” he says for Seonghwa without even thinking about it. 

Seonghwa blinks at his behavior while Yongsun looks between the two of them curiously. It’s like a lightbulb goes off in her mind when she flips her hair over her shoulder and tilts her head back to laugh at Hongjoong’s behavior. “Oh, you fairies,” she sighs when her laughter finally subsides a little. “Always so possessive, but I understand. I’ll stop with my teasing.” 

Hongjoong blushes when he realizes what she’s implying, how she interpreted his actions. “What? No! That’s not—” 

“A fae’s bite is quite pleasurable for humans, I hear,” she says, smiling at Seonghwa. “If you enjoy the feeling of a high, but a vampire bite is more one of carnal pleasure. If you ever change your mind.” 

Hongjoong curls his fists at his side, blood practically boiling at her actions. What a shameless flirt! And who is she to try and flirt with Seonghwa anyways? The human is practically an immovable rock. And he hates vampires anyways! He also hates fairies too, obviously, but Hongjoong thinks he’s a special sort of exception. 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Seonghwa drawls although he seems less than interested in her proposal. Still, Hongjoong turns around to face him, making a wounded sound as he stares at the human. “What?” Seonghwa asks. 

Yongsun laughs again, leaning back into her seat and throwing one leg over the other. “So, what can I help you with? Wooyoung didn’t really explain what you were looking for.” 

“A werewolf died a few nights ago,” Seonghwa tells her. “On his pack’s land. The Head Alpha isn’t sure who could have committed the crime, so he hired us to solve it.” 

“I heard,” Yongsun hums, bouncing her foot up and down as she crosses her arms over her chest. “They said they caught a packless wolf as the possible culprit but then released him within a day.” 

“That was Yunho,” Wooyoung affirms. “He was too large to have done it based on the wounds, so they released him.” 

“Who’s Yunho?” Yongsun asks curiously. 

“San’s boyfriend,” Wooyoung helpfully supplies. 

Seonghwa feels his stomach churn uneasily when the vampire’s gaze absolutely lights up at the mention of his ex partner. “San?” she repeats. “Oh, I am so weak for him. He has a boyfriend now?” She sounds a little disappointed by the notion, and Hongjoong feels his annoyance flare again, but this time for his friend. 

“They’re mates, actually,” he corrects. 

“Adorable,” she sighs wistfully. “Well, I suppose as friends of my favorite human I can do you a favor.” She settles back into her seat and smiles at the two of them. “What would you like to know?” 

“Wooyoung says you keep track of anyone who comes into or out of the city,” Hongjoong says. 

“I do my best to, yes,” she admits. 

“Have you seen or heard of any other lone werewolves who may have come in recently?” he asks. 

“A lone werewolf,” she repeats thoughtfully as she traces her fingers along her jawline. Her gaze travels over to Wooyoung curiously, but the mermaid just shakes his head. 

“Not that one,” he says when it’s clear she’s thinking about Yunho, the one who’s often at his bar. 

“I’m afraid I can’t say,” she says, eyes narrowing in annoyance. She doesn’t like the thought of someone she doesn’t know wandering around and causing trouble. “I’ve not heard of any packless werewolf that’s come in recently.” 

Hongjoong frowns, unable to hide his disappointment because where were they supposed to go from here? Seonghwa steps in for him, placing a hand on his shoulder to ground the fae. “But what?” he asks the vampire. “There’s something you have to tell us, don’t you?” 

The vampire smiles at his accusation and answers, “Yes, although I’m not sure if it has anything to do with your investigation. I thought you might be interested in it though.” She stares very pointedly at Hongjoong this time as if finally paying attention to the fae’s existence where she was so enamored with Seonghwa previously. 

“What is it?” Hongjoong asks, getting the distinct feeling that she’s singling him out. 

“I’ve not heard of any werewolves recently, but I have gotten wind of some fairies from out of town,” she says. “They’ve kept out of my business, so I’ve stayed out of theirs, but I know the fae folk. They don’t typically leave their territory unless there’s some business they must settle.” 

“How far out of town are we talking about?” Hongjoong asks. She’s right though. Fairies don’t typically leave the area of their court. It would be odd for her to notice an increase of unknown fae unless something had happened. 

Yongsun hums as she twirls a strand of her silky black hair around a finger. “I won’t profess to being an expert on fairy courts or the like, but I have it on good authority that they are quite far from their court territory. Originally from the north.” 

Hongjoong feels his blood run cold at her words, but he does his best not to let it show. Not in front of her. “From the north you say?” he repeats. What are the chances? 

Yongsun stares at him in such a way that the fae shivers. She knows, he thinks in a small panic. But how could she possibly know? Hongjoong was stripped of his rank and banished over a  _ century  _ ago. He takes a step back, bumping into Seonghwa who steadies him with a hand on the small of his back. It shouldn’t be nearly as comforting as it is, but Hongjoong finds that he can breathe again. 

“My people say these fairies all bear the same crest, so they’re coming from one court,” she continues, finally tearing her gaze away from Hongjoong to examine her nails. “A crown sitting atop a wreath of thorns. However, what they’re up to I can’t say. We’ve been keeping a close watch on them, and so far, nothing.” 

“How many of them?” Seonghwa asks. 

“Not enough for me to think something bad has happened to their court,” she answers. “They clearly have business here, but what that is I can’t say. They’ve left my people alone.” 

Seonghwa presses his lips together in a thin line. This is not at all what they were hoping for, but something about the information feels ominous. What would a fairy clan be doing here? 

“That’s all I have for you, I’m afraid to say,” Yongsun sighs. “I’ll have to ask that you excuse me now. I have some business to attend to.” She stands up from her chair with a small little flourish, though she pauses to send Seonghwa one last wink. “Please come back if you ever need anything else. I’d be delighted to....take care of you.” She smiles suggestively before strutting off towards one of the exits. 

Hongjoong glares at her retreating form as she leaves, anger spiking at her parting words. He doesn’t like her. He doesn’t like her one bit, although she admittedly shared some rather interesting information. He shakes off the thought, convincing himself that she didn’t offer anything useful though. She had no information on a potential suspect. So where did that leave them? 

“What’s our next move?” Seonghwa asks. 

Hongjoong doesn’t hear him over his own consuming thoughts. He nearly jumps out of his skin when the human places a hand on his shoulder, flinching away from him. Seonghwa raises an eyebrow at his behavior. Embarrassed, Hongjoong clears his throat and does his best to recover. “What?” he asks. 

Seonghwa doesn’t say anything at first, peering at Hongjoong curiously. Finally he asks, “You okay?” 

“Yes,” Hongjoong answers quickly. “I’m fine. Just...disappointed.” 

“Sorry,” Wooyoung apologizes as he slinks over to them. “I was sure if anyone might have a lead it would be her.” 

“Nothing about this case seems to be easy,” Seonghwa remarks, looking to the fae for a response. Hongjoong just bites down on his lips, thinking over Yongsun’s words. A crown atop a wreath of thorns. But why? Why would they be here? And why would she warn him about them? 

  
  
  
  


Seonghwa doesn’t say anything for a while when they leave. He just silently observes the fae as he practically runs out of the club like hell itself is chasing him. He cocks his head to the side and stuffs his hands into his pocket, following after the fae at a much more leisurely place and trying to pinpoint the exact moment when Hongjoong started behaving oddly.

Hongjoong makes it to the car first, impatiently pulling at the handle to the passenger side. Seonghwa ignores him to look down to the mermaid at his side. “Do you want a ride?” he asks, figuring he owes Wooyoung for setting up that meeting for them. 

Wooyoung looks up at him before shaking his head. “No, I’ll just catch a taxi back to my place,” he says before casting a glance to Hongjoong. “No offense, but I don’t want to be around when that one explodes.” He points at the fae and looks back at the human. 

Seonghwa sighs, “I don’t blame you. It probably won’t be pretty.” 

“Sorry,” the mermaid apologizes again. “I thought if anyone might know anything it was her. I didn’t expect her to just ramble on about some fairies.” 

The human sniffs and looks over to where the fae is still pulling relentlessly on the locked door. Was that the moment it started? “Don’t worry about it,” he assures the mermaid. “It’s not like we’re out of options.” 

Wooyoung presses his lips together and nods his head, grateful that the human doesn’t seem annoyed with him. He presses a hand to his chest and breathes out a sigh of relief before he reaches out to pat the human on the back sympathetically. “Well, good luck,” he says, casting one last glance at the fae who’s turned to glare at Seonghwa, before he quietly sneaks away on his own. 

Seonghwa pulls the keys from his pocket and unlocks the door for the fae who practically tears it open and scrambles inside. Seonghwa slides into the driver’s side not long after, glancing at the fae one more time before he fits the key into the ignition and starts the car. 

Hongjoong sits back and brings his feet up to rest them on the dashboard as he bites down on his thumb. He’s still thinking about Yongsun’s words. He can’ even think about this mysterious werewolf they’re trying to catch. All he can think about is a crown upon a wreath of thorns. Why? Why would they be here? 

“What’s that mean?” Seonghwa asks when he can’t keep his silence any longer. 

Hongjoong blinks when the human’s voice pulls him from his thoughts and he looks over to him in confusion before he turns away. “I don’t know. I guess we’ll just have to look somewhere else for a lead,” Hongjoong answers. 

“That’s not what I’m referring to,” Seonghwa corrects him. 

Hongjoong looks over to stare at him again. “What...are you talking about then?” he asks. 

Seonghwa spares him a quick glance before he returns his attention to the road. “‘A crown sitting atop a wreath of thorns,’” he quotes Yongsun’s words from earlier. “What does that mean?” 

The human doesn’t miss the way Hongjoong tenses up and twists his body away so as to avoid any eye contact with Seonghwa. “It’s nothing,” he says, doing the absolute least to convince Seonghwa of that. “It’s just—different courts have a crest to symbolize their court. That’s just one of them. She was just telling us what clan was lurking around by telling us that.” 

Seonghwa hums, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel. It’s an answer to his question, but he’s still not satisfied with the answer. “And?” he presses when Hongjoong doesn’t offer anything more. “Why does it scare you so much?” 

Hongjoong sucks in a breath at that accusation and hunches further down into his seat like he can hide from the human that way. “What? I’m not scared,” he denies. 

“You’re scared,” Seonghwa insists. “Why?”

“I’m not _scared_ ,” Hongjoong twists around in his seat to slam his fists down on the console, glaring at the human. 

Seonghwa’s jaw tightens, casting a brief glance down at Hongjoong’s fist. Then, wordlessly, he reaches down to cover Hongjoong’s shaking fist with one hand, wrapping his fingers around the fae’s fist to help calm him. Hongjoong startles at the action before releasing a shuddering breath when he realizes that his shaking ceases. 

“Who are they?” Seonghwa tries again. “You act like you know them.” 

“I’ve heard of them before,” Hongjoong answers. “They’re a court from the north. Fairy courts in general don’t tend to stray far from their territory and rarely meddle in affairs that aren’t their own. I’m not necessarily concerned that it’s  _ them _ in particular. I’m just worried because it’s suspicious behavior. Unless something has happened to their court that led to a need to flee, I don’t like the fact that they’re down here.” 

“And that’s it?” Seonghwa asks. 

“Don’t you know fairies better than anyone else?” Hongjoong retorts. “Don’t you also think this kind of behavior is suspicious? Don’t you know anything about us? Us fae folks can’t tell lies.” 

Seonghwa squeezes his hand over Hongjoong’s hand and says, “I know a lot about fairies. Everything I worked towards as a hunter was to hunt down and kill fairies. I know more about your kind than you think. I know what’s suspicious, and I’m well aware that they can’t lie.” He brings Hongjoong’s hand up so that it’s eye level with Hongjoong and then he releases his hold. The tremble returns, and Hongjoong quickly snatches his hand back, stuffing it into his lap. 

“Fae’s cannot lie, but they can bend the truth and mislead,” Seonghwa says. “You’re not scared. You’re terrified.” Hongjoong turns his gaze to his lap, clenching his fists although it does nothing to abate the shaking. “If you don’t want to talk about it right now, fine, but at least try to stay focused. We’re looking for a werewolf. Let’s not get involved in the affairs of a fae court.” 

“Agreed,” Hongjoong says. He squeezes his hands between his thighs but still the shaking doesn’t stop. Biting down on his bottom lip, Hongjoong wills away his fear. They have other things to worry about like tracking down this werewolf. Seonghwa is right. They don’t have time to waste meddling in the affairs of fairies. 

  
  
  


“The stars are pretty tonight,” San says as he tightens his arms around Yunho’s neck. 

The werewolf lifts his gaze up to look, humming in agreement at the stars twinkling in the night sky. San sighs, leaning down to press his cheek to the back of Yunho’s neck as the werewolf steadies his grip around the human’s thighs and hikes him up higher to keep San comfortable against his back. “Tired?” Yunho asks. 

San mumbles something incoherent into his nape before a clearer, “thank you,” falls from his lips. 

“For what?” Yunho asks. 

“Carrying me,” San responds with a cheeky grin. The werewolf snorts at him, pausing to hike the human up again when he begins to slide down his back. “Aren’t you tired though? You always stay up late to walk me home, but don’t you have to be in the clinic early?” 

“I get enough sleep,” Yunho assures him. “Besides, I’d rather be sleep deprived and know you got home safe than have you walk home alone.” 

San presses his face into Yunho’s neck again, trying to hide his smile there, but the werewolf feels the curl of his lips against his skin. “I love you,” San murmurs into his skin. “I love you so much. Sometimes I can’t believe you ever came back to me.” 

“You were always the only one for me,” Yunho admits to him quietly. “Wolves like me...we don’t usually ever think about having a partner. A mate, you know? Nobody ever expects us to survive long enough to think about it, but in that way I guess I can be glad I’m packless. I probably never would have met you otherwise.” 

San’s heart blooms at his words, but just as quickly it shrivels back up when he remembers just how they got here. “We were a mess for a while there,” he murmurs. 

“It hurt,” Yunho admits. “It hurt a lot.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

“No,” Yunho says with a shake of his head. “I don’t mean what you did. I meant when I tried to cut you off after. I was a coward and stupid. I had no idea what you were, but I’d given you everything. Taking all that back hurt a lot. Maybe it was part of the reason I couldn’t stay away.” 

San lifts himself up a little to stare down at the werewolf’s neck. He doesn’t know what to say let alone think at the moment. His heart feels like it's tumbling over Yunho’s words. He’s happy, so happy, to hear how much Yunho loved him—has always loved him—even during their time apart, and yet he’s ashamed. So ashamed to think about that moment that had first driven a wedge between them in the first place. 

“I’m really happy that you came back,” he tells Yunho as he plays with the short hairs at the nape of his neck. “I’m so happy that you gave me a second chance, but a part of me just doesn’t get it,” he confesses. “I don’t understand why you did.” 

“I suspect that it’s difficult for humans to understand,” Yunho says, pulling San’s legs up higher around his waist. 

“Can you explain it to me then?” San asks. “Why did you come back?” 

Yunho slows his walking pace a little as he tilts his head up to stare up at the night sky. “At first it was easy even though it hurt,” he says. “I told myself that it would have been better than dying, and at the time I was still angry, but when I found out that you had disappeared and hunters were looking for you I was terrified of the thought that something might happen to you. That was when I knew that you were it for me. Even though I broke up with you, I thought it was okay because I knew you were alive, but the thought of actually losing you to hunters...I couldn’t bear it.” 

San leans down to press a kiss to Yunho’s neck. He wants to tell the werewolf that he didn’t need to worry so much, but it’s hard when Yunho had seen the aftermath of that vampire attack with his own eyes. “I’m glad,” he says instead. “I’m glad you gave me a second chance even if I didn’t deserve it.” 

“Don’t say that,” Yunho chides him. “Don’t ever say that about yourself. There’s a reason Yeosang helped you. Even Wooyoung took your side, you know. You might have been raised a hunter, but you’re a better one than most.” 

“Why? Because I left?” San laughs. 

“That, and you were reasonable. I know you let Hongjoong go.”

San frowns, still not quite able to buy that logic himself. “Doesn’t it bother you though? I could have killed you.” 

“But you didn’t,” Yunho replies without missing a beat like he knew San would say that. “And you’re all the better for it. And we worked it out, don’t you think?” 

San presses another kiss to his neck before he buries his face into Yunho’s shoulder again, pleased with the werewolf’s words. “I love you,” he croons as he presses his knees to Yunho’s ribcage. 

“I love you too, you dork,” Yunho laughs. His joy is cut a bit short when he catches the scent of a werewolf in the wind. His nose twitches at the smell, and he scans the empty streets for any signs of life, but there are none. Anxiously, he tightens his hold around San’s thighs and consciously keeps his pace steady and relaxed. Even so, San seems to pick up on his tension because he lifts himself up again. 

“Is something wrong?” the human asks. 

Yunho doesn’t respond, taking in a deep breath just to check. The werewolf scent is still there. “I don’t know,” he murmurs in a quiet voice. “Don’t give us away. I think we’re being tailed.” 

San ducks his head down to press his cheek to Yunho’s neck and he furtively glances around. “Something dangerous?” he asks quietly. 

“Werewolf,” Yunho confirms. “I don’t recognize it. Doubt it’s one of Mingi’s pack mates.” 

“Do you think it’s that one?” 

Yunho shakes his head. “I don’t know. Do you have a weapon with you?” 

“Just my knife,” San affirms. “It’s not silver though.” 

“It might have to do,” Yunho murmurs. “It’s behind us. When I turn the corner they’ll be blind for a moment. We might be able to attack them then.” 

“Do you think it knows that we know?” 

“Hard to say, but this is probably the best shot we have.” 

San nods his head to signal his agreement before he starts kicking his legs and wiggling in Yunho’s hold. “Let me down,” he whines. Yunho pauses, bending at the knees a little so San can slide off of him with ease. The human slips his hand into Yunho’s and tugs him along down the street. 

“I won’t leave you long,” Yunho assures them as they approach the corner. 

“I don’t doubt it, but I can also take care of myself,” San assures him even as his fingers tighten their hold around Yunho’s hand. 

As soon as they round the corner, Yunho breaks away from him, leaving the human with a quiet, “I’m counting on you,” before he disappears down a back alley. San reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out his knife, counting down the seconds with each breath he takes. Not even a minute passes before someone turns the corner, and San immediately holds his knife up. 

The person freezes at the sight, wide eyes staring at his blade before looking up at the human. San stares back at him, equally as shocked. He looks like just a kid, unassuming in his hoodie and jeans. If not for his training, San might have even believed that he just pulled a knife on some innocent kid, but he knows a werewolf when he sees one. 

“Did you do it?” he asks. “Did you kill Mingi’s pack mate?” 

The werewolf appears surprised more than anything, startling at San’s questions and taking one step back as he nervously eyes the street. “Where…?” he trails off just before Yunho comes up from behind him. He picks up on Yunho’s sense right before Yunho can pounce on him. He releases a startled cry as he ducks down and stumbles back a few steps, quickly placing distance between himself and Yunho and San. 

“Why are you following us?” Yunho demands. 

“I wasn’t!” the werewolf denies, glancing nervously at San’s knife. “I just...you—” He bites down on his bottom lip and peers at Yunho with wide, inquisitive eyes. 

San tightens his grip on the handle, but he lowers it just enough to seem less threatening but not enough for the werewolf to try and jump him. Not that San thinks he would. Something about this kid just isn’t screaming “murderer” to him. 

“If you weren’t following us, what did you want?” San asks instead. 

The werewolf glances at him before looking away. “Nothing. It was nothing.” 

Yunho’s nostrils flare at his lie, and he advances on the smaller werewolf who scrambles back a few steps. “You did it,” he accuses. “You killed that werewolf.” The smaller wolf shrinks back at the accusation. Yunho stops and stares at the kid for a second, eyes narrowed in thought before he says, “What? Checking to see if that pack executed me yet?” 

That accusation seems to do it. The werewolf turns tail and runs, bursting into a transformation mid-leap. San yells out in alarm when the werewolf takes off like that. He chases him only to stop after a few paces when he realizes that he’ll never catch up to a transformed werewolf only for Yunho to charge past him, already transformed as well. 

“Yunho, stop!” San calls for him, but Yunho doesn’t even spare him a glance as he chases after the werewolf. “Shit,” the human curses when both werewolves quickly disappear from his sight. Thinking quickly, San digs through his pockets for his phone, frantically pulling up Seonghwa’s number as he runs over in the direction Yunho took off in. “Please, please, please,” he begs, cursing under his breath when he turns the corner at the next block to see an empty street. 

“Fuck!” he cries out at the same time Seonghwa finally picks up. 

“San…?” Seonghwa asks. 

“Sorry!” San apologizes. “Sorry, not you. I—Yunho just took off!” 

“What? Why?” 

“There was a werewolf, and he just started running, and Yunho took off after him!” San babbles incoherently as he starts down the street, keeping his eyes out for any signs of the werewolf. 

“Hold on, calm down. What the hell are you talking about?” 

“The werewolf!” San exclaims like that explains everything. “The werewolf that killed Mingi’s pack mate. He was here! And then he just took off so Yunho chased after him. I lost them though. I don’t know where they are.” 

“Yunho’s tracking him?” Seonghwa asks. 

“Yes! They were heading east, but I don’t know where they went.” 

“Okay,” Seonghwa says, and San can hear him moving around. “Hongjoong and I will be right there. We can track them down.” 

“Hurry,” San pleads, not liking the thought that Yunho is chasing after a killer on his own. 

  
  
  
  


Seonghwa and Hongjoong find San wandering the streets in the early hours of the morning, lost and completely unsure of where the werewolves had gone. Hongjoong seems dismayed at the idea that San had allowed Yunho to run off on his own, especially after a werewolf that might have killed one of its own. “Why didn’t you stop him?” the fae demands as soon as San crawls into the back seat. 

“I did,” San says, not noticing the bite to Hongjoong’s voice. Seonghwa does, however, and he glares at the fae in warning. “I tried to. He didn’t listen to me.” 

Hongjoong’s eyebrows raise when San says that, and he repeats, “He didn’t listen to you?  _You?_ ” That was mildly alarming to the fae. 

“He just took off.” 

Seonghwa looks over to the fae and asks, “Can you find them?” 

“Easily,” Hongjoong answers confidently. “I can smell him, but I might have to get out and track him on foot.” 

“We’ll follow you,” Seonghwa says. 

Pouting a little at the thought that he has to stand out in the cold to lead them to Yunho while they followed in the car, Hongjoong reluctantly shoulders open his door and slips outside. He rubs at his nose, adjusting to the cold as he takes a deep breath. He can easily pick up on Yunho’s scent. He’s had years to acclimate to it. 

He quickly scans the empty street to determine where Yunho had come from and where he was going before he looks back at the car when Seonghwa rolls down his window. “You got him?” the human asks. With a nod, Hongjoong points in the direction he figures Yunho must have ran off. “And the other wolf?” 

“I can smell one,” Hongjoong confirms, “but I can’t say much more than that. We’ll have to find them first.”

True to his word, Hongjoong does find Yunho easily enough, in the middle of a dimly lit park. He has the other werewolf pinned beneath him, paws pressing painfully into its side if the pained wheezing is any indication. Seonghwa parks the car on the street as San quickly scrambles out of it, running towards the werewolves. 

“Yunho,” the fae calls his name sharply as he marches towards the werewolf. Yunho turns his head towards him, ears perking up, and Hongjoong is pleased by his reaction right up until San suddenly rushes past him. 

“I told you to stop!” San shrieks at him, wrapping his arms around the werewolf’s neck, completely dismissive of the other werewolf Yunho has pinned to the ground. Yunho presses his wet nose against San’s neck in apology. The werewolf beneath Yunho’s paws whimpers, struggling against his weight. 

Seonghwa joins them not long after, hands tucked into his coat pocket as he steps up beside the fae. Hongjoong’s lips are pressed into a tight frown and he practically glowers at San. “They say this is our suspect,” he tells the fae.

Hongjoong’s eyes drop to the werewolf underneath Yunho, tilting his head to the side in thought. “He looks about the right size,” he agrees. 

“Should we bring him back to the office?” 

Hongjoong nods his head in agreement. “Yes, I have a lot of questions to ask him,” he says before pausing when another thought strikes him. “Do we have any blankets in the car?” 

Seonghwa raises an eyebrow at that question. 

  
  
  
  


There are not, in fact, any blankets in the car, but they do have blankets in the office. They’re all Hongjoong’s from times when he complained about being cold at work. It’s a rather awkward affair shuffling two werewolves—one of whom is technically in their custody—into the office. San takes one of the blankets Seonghwa offers to him and ushers Yunho into the bathroom for some modicum of privacy. 

Hongjoong brings the other blanket into a private room where Seonghwa had led the other werewolf. The fae makes a face at the mutt who presses his ears against his head and turns away from the both of them. “Change,” Hongjoong demands. 

The werewolf glances at him before looking away, hunching down. 

“Give him the blanket,” Seonghwa says. 

Hongjoong grits his teeth at the command and holds the blanket out for the human, refusing to step closer to the werewolf. Rolling his eyes at the fae’s behavior, Seonghwa flaps the blanket open before he drapes it over the werewolf’s hunched form. “Change,” the human repeats the command. Again, it looks at Seonghwa and then Hongjoong and then the door, perhaps gauging his chances of escape. “You’re in front of a hunter and a fae. Outside you’ll meet another hunter and the werewolf who hunted you down the first time. Be smart about this.” 

The werewolf seems to think about it for a moment before it settles down onto its stomach. Seonghwa remains unphased at the sound of bones cracking and bending although he at least affords the werewolf the courtesy of looking away as it transforms back. 

When the sounds finally cease, he looks back and blinks at the sight that greets him. The werewolf’s human form seems unassuming. He’s small, maybe appearing even smaller with the way the blanket basically swallows his naked form. Long, shaggy hair falls into his round eyes which blink at the hunter. He’s young. Not quite a pup anymore, but clearly not a full grown werewolf. 

Hongjoong narrows his eyes at him, eyeing the werewolf form critically. He looks like the correct stature in the fae’s opinion. Much smaller than Yunho. And packless to boot. He’s sure this must be the culprit. “Why did you kill that werewolf?” the fae demands. 

The kid flinches at the question, holding the blanket tightly against his form. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says. 

“Bullshit!” Hongjoong hisses as he marches up to the werewolf. He stands over the kneeling boy, towering over him. “You killed that werewolf, didn’t you?” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he repeats, shaking his head in denial. “I haven’t done anything!” 

Hongjoong’s eyes flash in annoyance. “I’m not stupid, kid. Do you know how much trouble you caused? Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in? You did it.” 

“I didn’t do anything!” 

Huffing, Hongjoong turns to Seonghwa who cocks an eyebrow at the fae’s behavior. This isn’t typically how Hongjoong conducts himself during an interrogation, and he’s honestly shocked by the fae’s aggression. “Let’s just hand him over to the pack,” Hongjoong suggests. “Case closed. They can deal with it from here.” 

“We don’t actually have any proof,” Seonghwa points out. 

“Oh, come on!” Hongjoong shouts in frustration. “We know he did it! All we have to do is compare the wounds to his claws and bite impression. It’s over.” 

“That doesn’t mean anything!” the werewolf argues, fingers tightening into the blanket when the fae turns his cold gaze to him. “That just means a werewolf my size did it.” 

“And what other werewolf of your size has wandered into the area recently?” Hongjoong shoots back. 

“I don’t know, but if I killed a werewolf I would have run by now,” he bites back.

Hongjoong’s lips curl back in a snarl, but he can’t advance on the werewolf at all because Seonghwa reaches out to grab him by the wrist and pulls him back before he can cause any more trouble. “He’s right,” the human reasons. “Matching the size isn’t necessarily proof.” 

“How is it not!” 

“Hongjoong,” Seonghwa bites out the fae’s name. “Why are you so angry?” 

The fae sputters at the question. “Why am I angry? Because of this kid, Yunho was accused of a crime he didn’t commit! Mingi’s pack wanted to kill him!” 

“They didn’t!” Seonghwa reminds him. 

“It’s still his fault it even happened in the first place!” 

Clenching his teeth together, Seonghwa struggles to find something to say to the fae, ultimately shaking off his own frustration before he could blurt out something he might regret. He pulls Hongjoong away from the werewolf and towards the door. “You need to calm down,” the human tells him as he opens the door and tries to push the fae out. 

Hongjoong digs his heels into the floor when he realizes what Seonghwa is doing, throwing himself back against the human’s chest to try and stop him. “No,” he whines like a petulant child. “No, this is my case too!” 

“Then start acting like it and stop acting like this is a personal vendetta,” Seonghwa advises him. San looks up at them from where he’s handing Yunho what looks like a cup of tea. “We’re never going to get anything out of him this way.” 

“But—” 

“No,” Seonghwa interrupts him. “Take a breather. Calm down. Let me see what I can get out of him.” He shoves Hongjoong out of the room before slamming the door shut behind him. With a sigh he turns back to the werewolf who has basically hidden himself beneath the blanket at this point. Before he can ask anything though, the door cracks open, and he whips around to tell Hongjoong to leave only to come up short when he sees San poke his head into the room. 

“What is it?” the elder asks. 

“I...wanted to ask if I could help,” San says. 

Seonghwa sighs, not entirely convinced he needs it, but motions the younger man in anyways. He figures it can’t hurt as long as he’s even slightly more contained than Hongjoong was. “What’s he doing?” he asks San as he jerks his chin towards the door. It’s obvious who he’s talking about. 

San smiles at the question. “He’s made himself at home in Yunho’s lap, and he’s cursing you to hell and back.” Seonghwa rolls his eyes at the image, but he has no doubt that Hongjoong is doing exactly that. “I don’t blame him for being mad,” San says sympathetically. 

“I don’t care that he’s mad. I care that he’s not helping in the slightest. He needs to cool off,” Seonghwa says. “What about Yunho?” 

San shrugs his shoulders, not entirely sure how the werewolf feels. “He’s not mad,” he concludes. “But I think he’s confident that this kid is it.” He looks down at the werewolf who just huddles deeper into his blanket. Seonghwa steps aside when San walks by him and slowly lowers himself to the floor so he’s level with the werewolf. “What’s your name?” San asks. 

Seonghwa folds his arms over his chest as he watches his partner. It’s not the approach he would have taken, but he trusts his old partner. The werewolf peers at him from behind his blanket fortress, but he doesn’t say anything. 

Smiling tightly, San holds a hand to his chest and introduces himself, “I’m San. The werewolf that chased you down is Yunho. What about you?” 

The werewolf stares at him for a moment, just two large, unblinking eyes peering at him through the blanket. Finally he says, “Han.” 

“Han?” San repeats. “That’s your name?” 

The werewolf bites down on his bottom lip, thinking about it, before he shakes his head. “No, um, Jisung. That’s my name. Han is what they call me.” 

Seonghwa perks up at his response. “Who?” he asks. Jisung doesn’t answer though, his focus fixed on San. When he doesn’t say anything more for a long moment, Seonghwa presses him, “Kid, do you understand how much trouble you’re in right now?” 

The werewolf laughs humorlessly, finally turning his attention to Seonghwa. “I know,” he admits. “I’m in trouble either way.” Seonghwa frowns, wondering what he means by that, but Jisung looks at San again. “Why were you with that werewolf? Yunho?” he asks. 

San cocks his head at the question. “What do you mean?” 

“A human and a werewolf seems like an unlikely pair to be wandering around at night,” he remarks before casting a quick glance to Seonghwa. “I guess it’s true for a fae and a human too.” 

“He was walking me home,” San answers. “I work at night.” 

“But you’re a hunter.” 

“I was a hunter,” San corrects. “I don’t hunt anymore.” 

Jisung bites down on the inside of his cheek, unsure what to make of his response. “So you’re just friends with a werewolf?” he asks. 

San hides a giggle behind his fist. “Sort of. We’re—mates,” he briefly hesitates before he forgoes the word dating to use the one Yunho would have. It feels right anyways. 

The werewolf’s eyes widen at his statement, and he leans forward in curiosity. “Mates?” he asks, eyes sparkling with delight when San nods his head. But just as quickly as the wonder sets in, he ducks his head down in guilt. “Sorry,” he apologizes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know that he had a mate.” 

San scoots himself a little closer to the werewolf and asks, “What are you sorry for?” 

Jisung startles at the question, eyes briefly meeting San’s before he quickly averts his gaze again. “Nothing, I just—” He fidgets. Seonghwa watches his old hunting partner quietly, letting San do the talking for now. He’s not sure exactly how the younger is doing it. Maybe dating a werewolf is giving him an edge, but whatever it is, it seems to be working. “They didn’t tell me he had a mate,” Jisung finally whispers. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know!” 

“What didn’t you know? Tell me,” San prompts him in a gentle voice, doing his best to coax the answer from the werewolf. 

“They told me it would be fine,” he blurts out, eyeing the hunters nervously. “It was supposed to be simple. If one of the wolves in the local pack died, they’d pin the blame on your mate and the pack would take care of him for them. I didn’t want to! I don’t...I don’t like killing, but I didn’t have a choice.” 

“Who’s they?” Seonghwa asks. The kid looks up at him with wide, fearful eyes and shakes his head, refusing to answer. “Listen, kid. You just admitted to killing that werewolf. That pack hired us to find the real culprit, and my partner has no qualms with turning you in and being done with this job.” 

“Don’t!” the werewolf pleads. “If you do they’ll kill me!” 

Seonghwa glances over to San who presses his lips into a thin line to keep himself from saying anything, but he knows exactly what the younger man wants to say. So he does it for him. “You were willing to let someone innocent take that fall for you. Why should we show you mercy?” 

“I didn’t want to!” Jisung protests. “I know it was wrong, but I couldn’t...and they didn’t tell me he had a mate. I didn’t know.” 

“If you want us to help you, you need to tell us everything you know,” Seonghwa compromises. “Who are they? Why did they want you to kill that werewolf? What do you know?” 

Swallowing thickly, Jisung lifts his head up to meet San’s eyes, but he can only hold the human’s gaze for a split second before he turns away in shame. “My...mistress,” he spits the word out in contempt, “she wanted it done. It didn’t have to be that werewolf in particular. He was just...the easiest one I could find. Isolated. She said it just had to be someone in that pack. She told me that if I did that, it...it wouldn’t matter. Another werewolf would take the fall for me. She said that it had to happen. That werewolf had to die.” 

“Yunho?” Seonghwa clarifies to which Jisung nods his head. “Why?” 

The werewolf shakes his head. “I don’t know,” he answers truthfully. “She just said he had to die. She wants him dead.” 

“Why didn’t she just do it herself then?” San asks. “Why not just send you after Yunho directly?” 

“He would have killed me,” Jisung says. “I don’t...I know I don’t stand a chance against him. I don’t know why. She didn’t want anyone to know it was her who ordered it.” He ducks his head down, clutching his hair between his fingers. “I’ll be in so much trouble if she knows. I failed, and now I’m telling you.” 

“Who is she?” Seonghwa presses. “Who wanted you to do this?” 

Jisung pushes the blanket off of his head so it drapes over his shoulders. He stares at Seonghwa wordlessly, trembling beneath the hunters gaze, before he finally opens up the blanket just enough to bare his chest. There, on his chest just beneath his neck, is a crest: a three pronged crown over a wreath of thorns. Seonghwa freezes at the sight as Yongsun’s words repeat themselves in the back of his mind. “The Queen,” Jisung answers. “She’s the Queen of the Crowned Thorn court.” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry of this is boring ;n;

Hongjoong perks up when both San and Seonghwa exit the little room they’ve sequestered the werewolf in. Both humans look rather grim as they leave, and the fae momentarily worries that they might actually have the wrong werewolf. Or maybe they just weren’t able to find anything definitive. He hops off Yunho’s lap when San approaches them and makes a beeline for Seonghwa who moves over to their printer. 

“So?” he badgers the human. “Did you get him? It’s him, isn’t it?” 

Seonghwa pulls out a blank piece of paper from one of the stacks they keep next to the printer before he pivots on his heels to head for his desk. “He did it,” he confirms, yanking a Sharpie from his cup of pens. He begins drawing on the paper as Hongjoong sighs in relief. 

“Alright, so we’re bringing him to the pack right? Job done.” 

“No,” Seonghwa denies, doing his best to create a quick but accurate drawing of what he’d seen. “We’re not turning him in.”

Hongjoong blinks at his partner, his brain practically short circuiting at the reply. “What?” he asks dumbly when he processes the human’s words. “Why wouldn’t we turn him in? He’s our killer. We were hired to find him, and we did.” 

“There’s something more going on here,” Seonghwa argues as he shoves his drawing into Hongjoong’s face. He doesn’t miss the way Hongjoong tenses up briefly before he shoves the piece of paper away from him, crumpling it for good measure. 

“What the hell is that?” he asks. 

“You tell me,” Seonghwa retorts. “He might have killed the werewolf, but he said the ultimate goal was to kill Yunho. What do you have to say about that?” 

“What? Why?” Hongjoong sputters, equally as confused by the prospect. Werewolves don’t typically dance around like that and plot to kill each other. If one wanted another dead, it was typically a straightforward kill or be killed methodology. 

Seonghwa presses his lips into a thin line and frowns at the fae, eyes narrowed in suspicion. “I’ve spent my entire hunter career learning about fairies,” he says. “I did it because I hated them. Because the more I knew about them the better I was at killing them. I know about fae magic. I know about contracts. You prey on humans because they’re easy. It’s not hard to trick them into accepting a fae contract.” 

“ _I_ have done no such thing,” Hongjoong hisses. “You should know that better than anyone.” 

Seonghwa ignores the fae’s attempt to guilt him, pressing ahead with his own concerns. “But I have  _ never _ heard of a werewolf being under the influence of a fairy court.” 

Hongjoong sucks in a breath when he hears the human’s word, and any further protest dies on his lips. He stares at Seonghwa for a moment, struggling to fully comprehend his statement. “What?” he finally blurts out. “A werewolf under the influence of a court? What are you talking about?” 

“That’s what I’m asking you,” Seonghwa insists, shoving his drawing into the fae’s face again. “A crown sitting on top of a wreath of thorns. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?” 

Hongjoong shakes his head in denial, ripping the paper from the human’s hands. “No,” he contests. “That’s not…” he trails off. It’s not possible, he wants to say even though it’s fully possible. Of course it’s possible. It’s just highly improbable. A werewolf should know better than to fall for typical fairy tricks. How could he possibly fall for that? 

“I’ve never heard of such a thing before, so tell me why we have a werewolf in that room that bears the seal of a fairy court?” Hongjoong takes a step back, eyes instinctively searching out Yunho, but San has drawn the werewolf away towards their break room, and Hongjoong can’t catch sight of him anymore. “Hongjoong,” Seonghwa snaps at him when his attention strays. 

“I...I need to talk to him,” Hongjoong finally settles on, turning towards the room they’re keeping Jisung in. 

“Hongjoong!” Seonghwa calls for him again, chasing after the fae as he bursts into the room. 

Jisung looks over when the door opens only to shrink back when Hongjoong walks through the door. The fae locks eyes with him and immediately beelines for him. The werewolf cries out in alarm and scrambles back when Hongjoong practically lunges for him, fingers twisting into the blankets and pulling it down over the werewolf’s shoulders to pool at his waist. 

Hongjoong freezes when he sees it. The mark at the base of his neck. The same one Seonghwa had so crudely drawn for him, but why? Why would the werewolf bear such a mark? The vampire’s warnings ring in his ears. Why would fairies from this clan be clustering here? 

“Why do you have this mark?” Hongjoong asks, his voice coming out shakier than he intended. “How did you fall under the influence of a fairy court? You’re a werewolf. You should know better!” 

Jisung flinches away at his question, gathering up the blankets to cover his chest. “I knew what I was doing,” he says. 

“Then why! A court with a werewolf at their disposal? They would have so much use for you. They’ll work you until you’re not useful anymore.” 

“Then as long as I remain useful it doesn’t matter!” the werewolf retorts. 

“You’re a fool!” Hongjoong sneers at him. “Do you really think you’ll ever truly please a fae Queen? You were fool for falling for her words.” 

“I didn’t fall for them!” Jisung snaps. “I know what I did. I know what was at risk, but I didn’t have a choice!” 

“How?” Hongjoong demands. “Everyone has a choice. You  _ chose _ this like an idiot.” 

“I wanted to live!” 

The fae pauses at those all too familiar words. It’s what they all want. It’s what he’d told San during their first encounter—that he just wanted to live. It was what Yunho begged for too, packless and alone and vulnerable. He doesn’t have a response to that. Those that have been abandoned and backed into a corner will often do reckless things in order to survive. Hongjoong knows this. He’d done it himself before. 

“You’re packless,” Seonghwa observes, picking up where Hongjoong left off for him. 

The werewolf turns his eyes up to the human and nods curtly. “I was abandoned the first winter I was born,” he says through gritted teeth, and Hongjoong winces at the pain and anguish in his voice. “I was a runt. My pack never thought I would survive anyways, so they abandoned me while I was still a pup.” It’s not unheard of, but it is unimaginably cruel. Yunho hadn’t quite been of age when he’d been forced out, but he was far from a pup either. “I should have died that winter, but I didn’t. Maybe it would have been better if I did though.” 

Seonghwa notices the way Hongjoong flinches at the werewolf’s words and wonders how much of his story is like Yunho’s. “How did you come in contact with a fairy court then?” he asks. 

“I learned how to hunt on my own, but I wasn’t very good at it. Sometimes I’d go days without food because I couldn’t catch anything or because I was too scared to leave whatever hiding spot I’d found,” Jisung explains. He sounds monotonous, like he’s telling someone else’s life story rather than his own. “One day food started appearing in front of my hiding spots. Nothing good, just plants and nuts, but I could smell a fae all over them. I was too scared to touch them.” 

“But you gave into your hunger eventually,” Seonghwa guesses but Jisung shakes his head. 

“No! No, I was terrified,” he says. “At that time I was terrified of everyone and everything. I was scared it might have been poisoned or maybe even a trap. I thought whoever had left it there might have been waiting for me to come out and pounce me, so I was too scared to even leave my hiding place.” 

“But you had to leave eventually,” Seonghwa points out. 

“I did. Eventually. But that fae kept leaving food for me.” He presses his lips into a tight line, clearly trying to suppress a smile. Seonghwa narrows his eyes at the werewolf, half wishing he would just get to the point already, but he holds his tongue. He’d seen the way the werewolf had reacted to San in comparison to Hongjoong. Demanding something would not bring him any closer to an answer. “One day I caught him in the act. I thought I was dead. I thought he would kill me.” 

“Who is ‘he’?” Hongjoong asks. 

“He saved my life,” Jisung says, not actually answering Hongjoong’s question. The fae bites down on his tongue, hating how familiar this story sounds to him. 

“If he really saved your life how did you end up in service of a fairy court?” 

“Like I said, I didn’t have a choice,” Jisung repeats. “They offered me protection in exchange for my loyalty. What fool would say no to that?” 

“Anyone with a brain,” Hongjoong spits. “How is that no choice?” 

Seonghwa reaches out to place his hand on the fae’s shoulder, a warning for him to stop. “And was it worth it?” Seonghwa asks. The werewolf turns his head away. It’s answer enough. “You aren’t loyal to the fairies,” Seonghwa observes, “you were loyal to  _ one _ fae. Why didn’t he dissuade you? Or was it what he wanted all along?” 

Jisung shakes his head. “No. It’s not what he wanted. He protested, but what choice did I have once the Queen found out about me?” Hongjoong holds his breath when the werewolf reveals that. “She wasn’t exactly pleased someone in her court was just helping out a packless werewolf. They would have killed me if I refused, and they promised me at the time that my friend would be my handler. It felt stupid to refuse.” 

“You should  _ never  _ trust the words of the fae folk. Especially the Queen,” Hongjoong mutters under his breath. 

“But you said earlier that you were acting on the orders of the Queen, did you not?” Seonghwa reminds him. 

“I did, and I was. I bear the mark of her court. I have to do as she commands.”

“And your original handler? Your friend. What happened to him?” the human presses.

Frowning, Jisung hugs the blanket close and replies, “He once held a favorable position in the court, but he’s since been forced out and replaced by someone the Queen prefers. I haven’t seen him in years.” Hongjoong’s jawline tightens as he clenches his teeth. His anger flows through his veins like molten lava. Damn that woman. “He practically raised me, and they took him away from me.” The werewolf deflates, his shoulders hunching down. 

“And who acts as your handler now?” Hongjoong asks him even though he’s dreading the response. Even though he’s pretty sure he knows. 

“The Queen.” 

“And she wants Yunho dead, but you don’t know why?” Seonghwa clarifies for Hongjoong’s sake. 

Jisung hesitates for a split second as he looks to Hongjoong before nodding his head. “She just gave me the order. But—but I’ve been in a fairy court for most of my life. I have my own theory.” 

“And that would be…?” the human prompts him. 

Jisung’s gaze travels from him to Hongjoong again who lifts his gaze up to lock eyes with the werewolf. “I’ve learned that fairy courts are filled with gossip. I’ve picked up on a lot of it over my time there, especially since I’m currently the Queen’s favorite pet. I’ve had a lot of time to listen and observe. I know court rules and behaviors. I can recognize a fae that once belonged to the court.” Hongjoong’s breath hitches and his pupils dilate as he stares at the werewolf who lowers his head down. “You’re from the court, aren’t you?” he asks in a small voice. 

Seonghwa crosses his arms over his chest and looks down at Hongjoong to gauge his response to that question. He’s had his own suspicions of course, but he won’t deny that he’s glad the werewolf brought it up instead. The fae is uncharacteristically quiet as he considers Jisung’s question. In Seonghwa’s opinion his silence seems to double as admission, but he patiently waits for the fae’s response. Finally, Hongjoong carefully avoids the question by asking, “What does it matter if I am? I’m courtless now.” 

“But surely you know what this Queen is like if you were once a part of her court,” Jisung tells him. “You look like you were a court fae once.” 

Hongjoon’s lips twist up into a sour expression, but Seonghwa interjects before he can deflect again. “What is she like?” he asks curiously. “Your old Queen. I mean.” 

The fae looks over his shoulder to glare at him. “What does it matter what court I used to be a part of? I’ve been courtless for over a century now,” he snaps. 

“Because,” Seonghwa answers sharply, “What the hell does a fae Queen get from targeting a packless werewolf? Something isn’t adding up unless we broaden what we think is going on. A fae wouldn’t bother with Yunho. A fae Queen even less so, so what is she actually after?” 

“Fae’s like revenge almost more than anything else,” Jisung adds. “Lately there was a lot of talk about an exiled fae that the Queen seemed particularly interested in tormenting. I don’t know much else. I never even thought that this assignment had anything to do with it. I thought maybe your werewolf friend had down something to personally upset the Queen before. I didn’t realize he was mated or anything. I’m sorry.” 

Hongjoong’s lips tremble as his fingers curl up into fists in his lap. “They left me alone for so long,” he murmurs to himself. “Years, _decades_. What does she want with me _now?_ ” he demands, eyes wild as he looks at Jisung. 

The werewolf shrinks back from him. “I don’t know,” he says. “I can’t even guarantee that it’s you they’ve been talking about, but…” 

“It’s likely,” Seonghwa finishes for him. “What happened to Yunho was planned, and he wasn’t picked out of the blue. They’re acting outside of their own territory to target _you_. They picked Yunho because they knew it was a way to hurt you.” 

“But why me?” Hongjoong yells out in frustration. 

“You were a part of their court,” Jisung says carefully. “Weren’t you?” 

“Not for years,” Hongjoong spits out. “I haven’t been a part of their court for a very long time. I’ve kept my distance. They’ve never once bothered me so why now?” Almost as soon as he says that he pauses, eyes widening like a thought comes to him. He turns to Seonghwa. “Yunho, can you get Yunho for me?” 

“Huh? But—” 

“Please!” 

Seonghwa’s lips twist into a frown, and for a moment Hongjoong worries that he won’t do as he asks because he just stands there staring at him. Finally the human tilts his head forward in acknowledgement and turns to head for the door. Hongjoong holds his breath until the door finally closes behind Seonghwa, and as soon as he hears the click of the door when it closes he turns back to Jisung. 

“Do they know about him?” he asks seriously. 

The werewolf blinks at him. “Know about who?” he asks. “The werewolf?” 

“No! Clearly they know about Yunho.” Hongjoong lifts a fist up, threatening to hit the werewolf with it. “I mean Seonghwa. Do they know about Seonghwa?” 

Jisung instinctively glances towards the door the human just disappeared through before looking back at the fae curiously. He wonders why it would be important that they might know about his work partner. “I don’t know,” he answers honestly. “However, I can tell you that there’s quite a few court members here in the city right now. If they didn’t know about him before it’ll probably only be a matter of time before they do. Why though? I failed to harm your werewolf friend. They’ll try again probably.” 

“Fuck,” Hongjoong curses. Truthfully he hadn’t paid the werewolf much attention past the fact that it’s most certainly only a matter of time before the Queen catches wind of Seonghwa’s existence, and he bolts to his feet.

“Wait!” The werewolf calls for him when Hongjoong lunges for the door. “What will you do with me? Your partner said he would help me if I told him what I knew.” 

The fae pauses at the question and spares the werewolf a quick glance over his shoulder. He wants to be mad at the kid. He caused so much trouble for him and Yunho. He killed an innocent werewolf. But the fae can’t bring himself to blame the boy. Not any longer at least. The pack would be happy to take him into their custody and deal with him as they see fit, but it wouldn’t really be justice in Hongjoong’s eyes. He knows the power of fae magic better than most. 

“That mark,” he muses, “it keeps you lucid during the full moon, doesn’t it? That’s why you were able to get that kill off because you were hunting while that werewolf had been running, mad with the influence of the moon.” Jisung turns his gaze down, perhaps interpreting Hongjoong’s words as a warning. That they would turn him over to the pack and close the case. “Fae magic is the tightest leash. You won’t be free of it unless you die or the Queen chooses to release you.” 

“I’ll die either way then,” he concludes. 

“However,” Hongjoong adds, catching the werewolf’s interest. “The influence can be weakened with distance. It’s no guarantee, but it may be something to try. Stay here for now if you know what’s good for you. I’ll talk to my partner about our options.” 

Jisung perks up at his offer, and Hongjoong can practically see the way his tail would be wagging if he were transformed. “Thank you!” he says as the fae shoulders the door open and slips out. 

  
  
  
  


“This was actually targeted?” Yunho asks Seonghwa, mind working overtime to try and process everything the hunter just dropped on them. San squeezes his wrist, maybe to comfort him or maybe to make sure Yunho is indeed alright. 

Seonghwa nods his head with a grim expression. “It’s presumptive, but it seems to be the case. The werewolf’s story doesn’t make any sense without it because the end goal was to kill you. But why would a fairy court be interested in killing a packless wolf unless they had a secondary goal in doing so. Hongjoong seems to be their actual target. You know anything about his old court?” 

Yunho shakes his head in answer. “He doesn’t talk about it much and he picked me up after he was banished from the court anyways,” he says.

“Do you at least know which one he comes from?” Seonghwa asks. “He won’t even admit if the werewolf is right.”

Yunho lowers his gaze, ashamed as he slowly shakes his head in response. “No. Like I said, he really doesn’t like to talk about it.” 

Hongjoong slips out of the room at that moment, quietly closing the door behind him. Seonghwa presses his lips together to keep himself from saying anything else as the fae shuffles over to them quietly. “The kid is asking what we’re going to do with him,” he murmurs to Seonghwa. 

The human places his hands on his hips and looks down at him. “You seemed ready to hand him over to Mingi’s pack. Did you change your mind?” 

Hongjoong snorts at him. “And as I recall you seemed to think that was a bad idea. He did still kill someone.” 

“And which of us haven’t killed someone?” Seonghwa points out. 

The fae looks over to Yunho before his gaze slides over to San who presses his himself closer to the werewolf. The human meets his gaze, and Hongjoong doesn’t miss the way he digs his fingers into Yunho’s arm. Yunho doesn’t seem to notice though. He doesn’t even wince. “Can you call Yeosang?” Hongjoong requests, speaking directly to the human. 

San startles at his request and points to himself like he can’t believe Hongjoong asked him. “Me?” he asks for clarification. 

Hongjoong nods his head, scanning the face of everyone in the room. “Our werewolf friend will need assistance if he’s to escape from the influence of a fairy court.” 

Seonghwa’s lips curl up into a small smile at his words. “So, you changed your mind?” 

“Don’t mistake it,” Hongjoong snaps at him. “Those stupid faes started this fight. And if they want to start a fight then I’ll finish it.” 

“Is it true then?” Yunho asks him. “Was this whole mess started because your fae court is angry with you?” 

Hongjoong scoffs, not at the question but at the entire plot the court seemed to have schemed up for him. “I guess I can’t say that I’m necessarily surprised. I know fairies better than anyone. And I know that Queen better than anyone, but I lived as an exiled fae from her court for decades. I’m not sure what suddenly ignited her ire.” 

“I’ve been with you for years now too,” Yunho points out. “Nothing like this has ever happened.” 

“No,” Hongjoong agrees, “they’ve left us alone.” 

“So then why now?” Seonghwa asks. “You sure you didn’t do anything to piss her or one of her court off?” 

“I’ve done nothing to her,” Hongjoong insists, turning his head towards Seonghwa although he doesn’t quite tilt his head up to meet the human’s gaze. “I’ve done my best to keep out of her way for a reason.” 

“Then why did you suddenly come back into her radar?” Seonghwa asks. 

Hongjoong curls his fingers into tight fists. It’s a good question. One which he desperately wants to know. He has a suspicion, and he’s terrified of confirming it. “I can’t say,” he says. It’s not exactly a lie, but it’s not truthful either. Firstly, he needs to confirm his suspicions for himself. “But they chose to start this. I’m going to get to the bottom of it.” 

  
  
  
  


Hongjoong is admittedly hovering a bit more than usual. He knows this. Seonghwa knows this, but neither of them make any comment about his recent behavior. Hongjoong needs to get himself together. He can’t help it though. His worry for the human has always lurked in the back of his mind, quiet enough to ignore most of the time but loud enough that he knows of its presence. He knows that it’s there which is why he can’t help but think the worst when he shows up to the office a little late only to find a single azalea in front of the door. 

Seonghwa had come in earlier, outright telling the fae not to follow him to work this morning even though _they work together_. Hongjoong huffed and promptly tried to follow Seonghwa out only for the human to slam the door in his face and tell him to come later. “Take a hot shower, eat a big breakfast, drink a liter of coffee, just stop fucking hovering over me everywhere I go,” Seonghwa growled at him. 

So he’d gone in first and left Hongjoong alone at home to stew in his anxiety before the fae bolted out of the apartment and ran all the way to the office. Point being that Seonghwa probably would have taken note of a flower just sitting outside of the door if it had been there before. Hongjoong’s figures curl into his jacket before he cautiously reaches out for it. Picking it up, he glances around for the messenger before rudely flinging it aside. It’s enough of a threat, he thinks before stepping into the office. 

Seonghwa looks up when he storms in, oblivious to or dismissive of the clearly foul mood the fae is in. “I just talked to Yeosang,” he says as he leans against his desk. “Jisung seems to be doing okay, but what do you want to tell Mingi’s pack? That fairies were actually behind the whole thing? They clearly think it’s a werewolf.” 

They probably should discuss this. Werewolves were stubborn and difficult to deal with sometimes. The injuries revealed the attacker was another werewolf, and they probably would not want to hear about a whole fae plot. Instead Hongjoong just says, “I need to go somewhere.” And he immediately turns to head back out the door. 

Seonghwa stares but makes no move to stop him as the fae practically slams the door back open and storms out. It’s not hard to find his target although Hongjoong admittedly stops short when an old face greets him at the corner of their building. 

“Oh?” the fae asks, quirking an eyebrow as he eyes Hongjoong up and down. “I wasn’t expecting you to come so quickly after getting my message. Miss me?” 

“Minho,” Hongjoong growls the name out. “Why the hell are you here?” 

“What a silly question. I came to speak. I saw you receive my message. Did you not come because I called?” Minho questions, lips curling up into a kittenish grin. 

“I figured you left your warning,” Hongjoong snorts as he crosses his arms over his chest. Minho’s appearance had scared the shit out of him. He didn’t think anyone would actually confront him, but the fact that he had and so brazenly too while Seonghwa was only one shout away. “I didn’t realize there was more you wanted to say.”

Minho’s eyes light up when he figures out where Hongjoong is coming from, way too delighted by the redhead’s misunderstanding. “Oh ho. You think I’m here on behalf of the court.” Hongjoong narrows his eyes but otherwise does his best not to give away his shock. Is that not what Minho is here for? “I didn’t come all the way out here to threaten you on behalf of the Queen if that’s what you were worried about,” Minho assures him with a little insufferable sigh. “I wouldn’t waste my time like that.” 

“Then why are you here?” Hongjoong asks, hackles rising at the way Minho just continues to smile at him. He knows something that the redhead doesn’t, and Hongjoong hates that.

“I came to trade information with you,” the fae tells him. 

“No, thanks,” Hongjoong rejects.

“Oh?” Minho’s eyes glint with interest. “That was quite fast. Are you sure you don’t want to trade with me?” 

“I’m certain,” Hongjoong states. “I learned my lesson. Painfully. I won’t trust a fae so easily, least of all a fae from that wretched court. Whatever you have won’t be worth the trade.”

“Are you sure about that?” Minho goads him again when Hongjoong turns to leave. “It has to do with your human partner.” Hongjoong twists back around to glare at him, his eyes flashing black and blue for a second. Minho just smirks at him. He has the redhead’s interest, and he knows it. “You’re curious,” he observes. 

“And what would you ask in return?” Hongjoong sneers, fingernails digging into the soft skin of his palm. He’s sure that whatever it is won’t be worth it. He’d have to give up something equally as precious to Minho, and he swore to himself that he wouldn’t let this court take a single thing from him again. 

“Nothing.” 

Hongjoong is so caught off guard by his answer that he initially doesn’t react, just continues to glare at Minho as if this fae were his greatest nemesis when they had once been friends. But then it catches up to him, and he instinctively relaxes as the full weight of Minho’s answer hits him. “Huh? Nothing?” he repeats. “You said you wanted to trade information!” 

“I do as it so happens,” Minho admits. “But it would also appear to me as if you have already paid for your half, so I offer you information freely if you would hear it.” 

The redhead narrows his eyes in suspicion, body tensing up all over again. Something about this just doesn’t sit well with him. “I paid my due?” he questions. “In what way?” 

Minho finally drops the amused expression he’d been wearing on his face to take on a more serious note. “Jisung,” he answers after a short pause. “You saved Jisung. In exchange, I’ll tell you what I know about the Queen’s goal.” 

“Jisung?” Hongjoong repeats. “The werewolf boy? Why on earth would you care—” He sucks in a sharp breath when the answer hits him. “Don’t tell me, you were the fae who saved him?” 

“What of it?” 

“You?” Hongjoong laughs at him. “Saving a werewolf? What a joke.” 

“I could say the same about you,” Minho smiles at him. “If I remember correctly, the smell of wet-dog is one of your least favorite, and about the only scent that clings to a werewolf.” Hongjoong growls at him. He’s not wrong, but he takes particular offense to the idea that Yunho smells  _ that _ bad. “He was only a pup,” Minho says wistfully. “He was adorable. I felt so sorry for him.” 

“That doesn’t sound like you at all,” Hongjoong notes. “You would have let a werewolf like that die.” 

“Alas, I suppose that’s why I’ve fallen out of favor in court. I’d been looking for ways to tighten my control over the kid if I couldn’t remove him from the court. Her Lady didn’t take too kindly to that. But here you are doing my work for me. I figured the least I could do was offer some information in exchange.”

“Hmph. Do you think this will buy him more time with us or something? I’m not planning on babysitting another werewolf any time soon,” Hongjoong huffs. 

“And what if that information was exceedingly good?” Minho bargains. “Might that not levy some favor with you?” 

Hongjoong’s ears perk with interest although he tries his best to remain nonchalant. “Depends on the information you have to offer. You said you have stuff regarding my human partner, but we’re just work colleagues. What do I care about his business?” 

“He looks just like him, doesn’t he?” Minho remarks. Hongjoong falters and struggles to recollect himself when his old friend turns his wicked gaze to him. “You like him, don’t you?” 

“I—” Hongjoong feels his words catch in his throat. 

Minho tuts at him, waggling a finger as he scolds him. “Fae’s cannot tell a lie. Don’t try to lie to me or anyone else about this. You’ll be doing yourself no favors from this point on.” Pouting, Hongjoong lowers his head down as a sign of restraint. “You like him,” Minho repeats as he runs his fingers along his bottom lip, “but you’d do well to remember who else fancied the last human of yours.” 

Hongjoong’s eyes narrow and he bites down on his bottom lip. That bitch. “She took him from me,” he spits out. “She turned him into a court toy!” 

“Yes,” Minho agrees. “But you’d do well to remember that you took that opportunity away from her by killing him first.” 

“What? And I was supposed to just let her do what she wanted to my lover?” Hongjoong snaps back, insulted by Minho’s criticism. 

The fae appears unbothered by his little tantrum though, merely shrugging his shoulders at Hongjoong. “I don’t know. I guess it depends on your perspective. You saved your little human from a painful and prolonged death, but it cost you your position in court. Who really wins in that case? You? Your human lover?” 

“My position in court was forfeit long before that. What’s your point?” he growls out. Doing nothing might have saved him from being banished, but Hongjoong had already lost his influence in court by that point.

“Nothing really,” Minho says with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Just be careful what you do this time. Take stock of who is and isn’t important. We caught word that you were becoming active in this city. Then someone found out about your partner and his...uncanny resemblance to an old toy who was taken from the Queen. She wants to play with him this time,” he warns. 

Hongjoong shoulders lift up as he tenses all his muscles. He wants to lunge at Minho. He wants to fight the fae before him and release all his pent up anger and frustration at his old court. He had been a part of their fold once, but he abandoned them the second they betrayed him. He’d taken his exile with pride and they left him alone for years, presumably hoping he’d been leading a miserable life. But now this? 

“Then why Yunho?” he demands when Minho pushes himself off the wall and makes to leave. 

The fae pauses at the question before he turns to face Hongjoong again. “Oh, Joongie,” Hongjoong scowls at the cute little nickname he uses on him. “I know you haven’t been a part of our court for awhile, but surely you aren’t so naive. The Queen wants your human partner, but only because she thinks it will hurt you. Killing your werewolf friend was just supposed to be the cherry on top. _You_ are her true target. You’d do well not to forget that.” 

  
  
  
  


Hongjoong is not concerned. Seonghwa isn’t his problem, he tries to reason with himself. They’re partners at most, so there’s no reason for Hongjoong to worry about the human’s safety. More than that, Seonghwa is a trained hunter. He knows how to look after himself. The Queen is wasting her time thinking that she could ever get her hands on Seonghwa or that Hongjoong would even care if he did. 

Hongjoong doesn’t care.

He doesn’t. 

So why has his gaze been darting from the clock to the door to the office for the past twenty minutes as he anxiously waits for the human to walk through the door? His fingers tap impatiently against the desk as he bites down on his lip. He’s supposed to be going over Jisung’s case and figuring out their next move. How exactly will they move forward and draw out the fairies involved in this plot? That’s what he’s supposed to be working on.

Instead he finds himself staring at the door and wondering at what time it might be appropriate to think something has happened to Seonghwa and chase him down. The human had stepped out to get a cup of coffee. Their machine is still broken and despite Hongjoong’s valiant efforts to start it up again so that Seonghwa wouldn’t need to leave, it just would not dispense a cup of coffee. Just one cup. That’s all Hongjoong had asked for. Unfortunately the human quickly lost his patience and left in a huff because the nearest coffee shop was only a five minute walk away anyways. 

Hongjoong pushes his chair back to stand up, throwing all caution to the wind as he marches for the door. He’ll just say he wanted a coffee too even though he hates the bitter drink. When the door to their office suddenly swings open, Hongjoong stops short and stares as Seonghwa steps back inside with a paper cup in hand. 

“Line was so long,” he complains as he carefully unwinds his scarf from his neck. 

Hongjoong blinks up at him. “Oh. That’s what took you so long?” he asks. 

Seonghwa looks down at him with his scarf in one hand and the coffee in the other. “Why? Do you need me here to supervise you all the time?” 

Hongjoong pouts and steps aside as Seonghwa moves past him to head for his desk. If anything, the fae thinks, it’s the other way around. Hongjoong needs to keep an eye on Seonghwa. The human has no idea what kind of target is on his back! Which is maybe why Hongjoong should probably tell him, but he hasn’t. He doesn’t want to worry the human over a problem he caused. 

“I just thought it was taking too long,” he finally answers. “You have work to do too, you know.” 

“At least I’m getting shit done,” Seonghwa snorts. He sets his coffee down on his desk before shrugging out of his coat. He drapes both the coat and the scarf over the back of the chair before settling down with his cup of coffee. 

It’s kind of true though. Hongjoong hasn’t accomplished much in the past few days, his thoughts consumed by his worries for the human’s safety. He’s practically living in a paranoid parallel universe where he’s convinced a fae is always watching him. Always lurking around every corner. He’s sure that he’s under watch, but so far they haven’t made a move. 

Hongjoong makes sure to keep Seonghwa under his own watch. Always mindful of the human’s whereabouts. Nowadays he rarely even let’s Seonghwa out of his sight. He’s sure that the human notices if the side eyes and questioning looks are any indication, but he hasn’t commented on it yet. He’s okay though. For now at least, so Hongjoong figures that’s good enough. 

Seonghwa releases a big sigh as he holds his coffee closer, eyes slipping shut as he savors the bittersweet scent of coffee. He lifts the cup up to take a sip. Hongjoong can’t even begin to describe the absolute and inexplicable fear that abruptly travels from the base of his spine up, but it’s all consuming. He’s just suddenly struck with the thought that he can’t trust that cup of coffee. What if it’s laced with fae magic? It wasn’t from their own coffee machine. Hongjoong didn’t know who this came from or who might have gotten to it before it reached Seonghwa. What if a fae managed to sneak something into it? Seonghwa would fall under the influence and there's nothing Hongjoong could do but offer the same mercy he’d shown his lover.

Hongjoong moves without thought and lunges for Seonghwa’s coffee. The human cries out when he snatches the cup from his hands, yanking it away with such force that the lid comes flying off. Some of the hot liquid sloshes out onto Seonghwa’s hands who hisses as he pulls his hands back. Most of it spills out onto Hongjoong’s shirt as the fae stumbles back a few steps before he falls onto his ass. 

The rest of the coffee spills out onto him then. His white shirt stains a horrid brown color and his skin is warm and wet and sticky from some of the sugar, but Hongjoong doesn’t even pay attention to any of that. All he can focus on is the bitter scent of coffee that fills his nose. The distinct lack of fae magic is obvious to him now, and Hongjoong breathes a sigh of relief that is short-lived because Seonghwa jumps to his feet. 

“What the fuck!” he demands, awkwardly shaking the liquid off of his hands since there’s nowhere else for him to wipe them down on. “Was that necessary?” 

“I…” Hongjoong has nothing to say, his brain working overtime just to process what just happened. He just spilled Seonghwa’s coffee all over himself out of fear that it might have been poisoned with fae magic, but there’s definitely no magic here. Just regular coffee. 

Seonghwa sighs, some of his anger quickly fading as he looks down at the pathetic sight Hongjoong makes. He walks around his desk to the fae and kneels down in front of him. Briefly, he mourns the loss of his coffee before he pushes it to the back of his mind as he takes in the fae’s appearance. 

He’s never seen Hongjoong like this. He’s never really seen a fae like this before. The fae folk are always so prideful when it comes to themselves and their appearance. They always carry themselves in such a way to portray that and hate revealing their flaws more than anything. Seonghwa knows this. Hongjoong isn’t all that dissimilar either. He may try to hide it, but the human knows he hates his decaying wings more than anything. It’s always the one part of his glamour he never loses control over. 

So to see him like this, Seonghwa can’t help but feel concerned. “Are you okay?” he asks as he gingerly picks up the empty cup and sets it aside. There’s not much he can do about the coffee soaked into his clothes and dripping down onto the floor though. “What was that about?” 

“I don’t know,” Hongjoong says, equally as stunned by his actions apparently. “I just...I thought it might have been laced with fae magic. I was scared.” 

Seonghwa frowns at him as he reaches a hand out to help the fae up. “Why on earth would you think that?” 

“I don’t know,” Hongjoong repeats. He shivers then as the coffee rapidly cools against his skin. 

Seonghwa sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. “I would have known if there were a fairy at the coffee shop. No one slipped anything into it. I know what I’m doing.” 

“I know,” Hongjoong says as he looks down at himself. “There wasn’t anything in there. I’m sorry! I’ll buy you another coffee.” 

“Forget it,” Seonghwa says with a shake of his head. “You should go home and get changed.” 

Hongjoong shakes his head, stubbornly refusing to go along with Seonghwa’s suggestion. “No,” he refuses even though he’s soaked through with coffee. 

“Don’t be silly,” Seonghwa reprimands as he rolls his eyes at the fae’s behavior. He seizes Hongjoong by the wrist and pulls him to his feet. 

He does, as it turns out, manage to bring Hongjoong all the way back to their apartment, advising the fae to take a shower as he walks into Hongjoong’s room like he’s not a stranger to it. The fae watches him go, slack-jawed as Seonghwa begins going through his belongings like he’s all too familiar with them. 

He showers himself quickly—mostly just to wash away the stickiness and scent of coffee—emerging from the shower with a towel wrapped around his body as he holds his coffee soaked clothes in one hand. Seonghwa is still in his room when Hongjoong shuffles in to dump his laundry into his little laundry basket. The fae nearly jumps out of his skin when he sees the human pull out a pair of underwear for him. 

“Here,” Seonghwa says as he holds out a set of clothes for Hongjoong to change into. 

The fae hugs the offerings to his chest, feeling more than a little self-conscious in just his towel. “Thanks,” he says before he awkwardly waits for Seonghwa to leave. The human doesn’t though. He just sits there and waits for Hongjoong to change. 

Seonghwa clearly has no plans to move, and, unwilling to take the blow to his pride and ask, Hongjoong simply turns away from him before he allows the towel to drop to his feet. Seonghwa doesn’t respond in any audible way to his actions, but when Hongjoong peeks over to him as he slips into his underwear, he catches the human staring at the naked expanse of his back. 

The thing about them is that it’s not really clear to either of them what exactly is going on between the two of them. Minho hadn’t exactly been off the mark when he accused Hongjoong of liking the human. There had been that moment when Hongjoong thought Yunho might have died when things could have changed between them. They almost did, but not much has changed between them since then. 

“Feel better?” Seonghwa asks him. 

“Yeah.” Hongjoong runs his hands down his clean and dry shirt. He turns his head away to avoid the human’s gaze as he awkwardly picks at his shirt. 

“Are you okay?” Seonghwa asks him. Hongjoong hums, still refusing to meet the human’s stare. “I haven’t seen you like this since I pulled that silver bullet from Yunho.” 

That catches the fae’s attention, and he tilts his head up to stare at Seonghwa. “What do you mean?” 

“You seemed truly scared that my coffee might have been spiked.” 

“That was just—I just—” Hongjoong stutters and trips over his words as he looks for a way to defend himself. “I didn’t want to relive the same experience again,” he defends himself. 

Seonghwa releases a breath and shakes his head at the fae’s answer. “I know I look like this old human boyfriend of yours, but I’m not him,” he tells Hongjoong seriously. “I know how to take care of myself.” 

“I’m not saying that you can’t,” Hongjoong argues. “But is it so wrong for me to be worried?” 

“It is if it’s misplaced,” Seonghwa says through gritted teeth. “I’m not his surrogate. I’m my own person, Hongjoong.” 

“I never said you were,” the fae snaps defensively. “I’ve never thought of you like that. Just because you have his face doesn’t mean anything to me. I was just worried because they already went after Yunho and we’re partners! So sue me for that.”

Seonghwa reels back a step at his words, looking genuinely hurt for a moment. “Is that all we are? Partners?” 

Hongjoong furrows his eyebrows together in confusion. Why is Seonghwa so upset by that? What else are they supposed to be exactly? “What else do you want us to be? Am I not allowed to show concern for my partner?” 

“What do  _ you _ want us to be?” Seonghwa shoots back. Hongjoong expression sours at the question, annoyed by the human’s insistence on bouncing the ball into Hongjoong’s court. “You’re the one who clearly can’t stop thinking that I’m your dead lover,” Seonghwa criticizes. Hongjoong sputters at the accusation because that is simply _not true_. They look similar, yes, but Hongjoong has never once thought they were the same person. “You kissed me that night I saved Yunho!” 

“And you kissed me just the other day!” Hongjoong accuses. “So we’re fair.” 

Seonghwa presses his lips into a tight line because he can’t exactly deny that even if he finds Hongjoong’s games annoying. “I did and you liked it, so what’s your point?” 

“That you’re the one who wants something more out of this, not me,” Hongjoong says. 

Seonghwa narrows his eyes at him and crosses his arms over his chest. “Fine,” he concedes. “I guess if that’s how it is. I apologize for misunderstanding.” He pivots on his heels to leave only for Hongjoong to reach out and grab him by the wrist to stop him. Clenching his teeth together, Seonghwa tries tugging his arm away from Hongjoong, but the fae clings tightly to him. “Let go,” the human demands. 

“Wait,” Hongjoong pleads. 

“What?” Seonghwa slips his arm out of Hongjoong’s grip. 

The fae just lunges for him again, arms wrapping around Seonghwa’s waist this time before he sinks back into his heels, acting as an anchor to keep the human from walking away from him. “Please,” he begs. “I’m sorry. Just hear me out.” Seonghwa releases a long suffering sigh but stops fighting the fae. He goes lax in Hongjoong’s arms. 

Slowly, Hongjoong lifts himself back up to his feet and presses himself into the human’s side. “I don’t think that you’re the same person. I know that you’re not.” He hates to admit it, but he thought they were at one point. In a moment of weakness when Seonghwa had first approached him at Vapor, Hongjoong had been shocked speechless, convinced that the human before him was the very same one he had once loved. He’d been stupid and naive back then, ignoring all the warning signs that Seonghwa was, indeed, a hunter. It was only when he laid eyes on San and realized who he was that Hongjoong realized he was in very real danger. It had been a wake up call. 

“I know that you can take care of yourself, but I was just worried!” 

“You need to trust me,” Seonghwa complains. “I know what I’m doing. I’m not stupid enough to let fairies take advantage of me!” 

“I know! It’s not about trust,” Hongjoong argues. “I’m scared, okay?” he admits as he digs his fingers into Seonghwa’s side hard enough that the human winces. His pride stings at his own admission, but he thinks it’s worth it when Seonghwa places a hand on his head and pats him affectionately. “I’m scared to lose you like that too. It happened once before. What if it happens again?” 

“It won’t,” Seonghwa assures him. “I know better, and so do you now. You don’t need to worry so much about that.” 

Hongjoong releases a shuddering breath against Seonghwa’s shoulder. He knows. In the rational part of his mind he knows that there’s little to worry about, but the threat remains, and as long as it does the fear refuses to abate. He claws at the human’s shirt, pulling him down until they’re eye level with each other. 

Seonghwa blinks at him while Hongjoong’s lips tremble. The fae’s gaze falls to Seonghwa’s lips, but he doesn’t move forward, frozen by fear, and his words are all stuck in his throat. Seonghwa, however, seems to know exactly what he wants. He moves in closer, and the corners of his lips turn up into a smile when Hongjoong’s lips part in anticipation. Seonghwa holds his position though, teasing—no—challenging Hongjoong to take what he wants. 

But the fae hesitates, his pride and his fear holding him back. The last thing he wants is to make himself look a fool for a human. Not for a second time. But Seonghwa doesn’t give him what he wants. He just waits for Hongjoong to make the first move. 

The fae whines, fingers curling into Seonghwa’s shirt, but still the human stays put, waiting for his move. Trembling, Hongjoong sticks his tongue out to lick his lips and gives in. He falls back onto his heels before pushing himself up on to his toes to press his lips to Seonghwa’s. 

The human responds immediately, tilting his head to deepen the kiss. Hongjoong falls into Seonghwa’s side with a little whimper. Seonghwa catches him with hands around his waist, pulling the fae flush against his body. Hongjoong moans into his mouth, breath hitching when the human slips his tongue into his mouth, licking along the back of his teeth and the roof of his mouth. 

Hongjoong shivers at the feeling and allows his eyes to slide shut as he melts into Seonghwa’s side as he surrenders to the feel of the human’s lips against his. Seonghwa pulls away from him first, gently nipping at Seonghwa’s bottom lip before he pulls away to stare down at the fae. 

Hongjoong takes a moment to catch his breath before he squints up at the human. Seonghwa’s chest heaves as he also tries to catch his breath. He meets the fae’s eyes and his expression immediately softens. “I’m not going to do that to you,” he assures Hongjoong. The redhead furrows his eyebrows in confusion for a moment as he tries to process what exactly Seonghwa means by the words. 

“What do you mean?” he asks. 

“You were tricked once,” Seonghwa tells him. “I know you wouldn’t fall for it again. I won’t cause you that same pain, so trust me.” 

“Okay,” Hongjoong agrees. “I trust you. I do.” 

  
  
  
  


Despite Hongjoong’s words, Seonghwa grows increasingly agitated and concerned by the fae’s behavior. He clearly doesn’t trust Seonghwa. He follows the human around everywhere he goes, asks to double check every little thing Seonghwa buys. Every drink and food item the fae insists on carefully checking over to make sure it’s not tainted in any way. 

Seonghwa is quickly losing his patience. 

“What is wrong exactly?” he demands as he snatches back his coffee from Hongjoong’s hands. The fae had tagged along with him under the pretense that he also wanted a cup of coffee. He hadn’t gotten one though and had subjected Seonghwa’s coffee to an unnecessary security screening. 

“Nothing,” Hongjoong denies. “I’m just being cautious.” 

Seonghwa shakes his head at that. “No,” he denies, “this is beyond being cautious. What’s actually going on?” 

“Well, we have a case that involves investigating a fae clan, and they don’t typically like to be under suspicion of anything, so I just think we should play it safe,” Hongjoong deflects. He doesn’t know why he can’t just tell Seonghwa what’s going on. What harm would it do to tell Seonghwa that he should be extra cautious because the Queen is targeting him? In fact it would probably only help them both.

He doesn’t though because he stupidly thinks he can handle this on his own. 

“That’s a lie,” Seonghwa bites out at him. “Something’s up. What is it?” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m just looking out for you.” Hongjoong opens the door to the coffee shop and motions for Seonghwa to walk through. The human narrows his eyes at him as he walks out the door, and Hongjoong swallows the lump in his throat. Clearly Seonghwa doesn’t believe him. 

“We haven’t gotten anywhere in that case,” Seonghwa complains as soon as they’re outside and out of earshot from the other patrons. “We haven’t gotten anywhere since we caught Jisung. We know who we’re going after, but what have we done?” Hongjoong winces at the agitation in the human’s voice. 

“We probably need to take our time anyways,” Hongjoong says cautiously. “We’re up against a fae Queen and her entire court. It won’t exactly be easy.” 

“Just because it won’t be easy doesn’t mean that we should be twiddling our thumbs doing nothing. What does she want with you anyways?” He looks down at Hongjoong who turns his head away. 

“You heard Jisung,” he reminds the human. “Us fairies are petty and vindictive. I became a target the second she banished me. It just took awhile for her to want to collect on it I suppose.” 

“Doesn’t that bother you though?” Seonghwa asks him. “Why would she choose to single you out now? Do you think it was because of one of the cases we did before?” Hongjoong shrugs his shoulders which apparently is dissatisfying enough because the human scowls at him. “See, this is your problem,” he complains. 

“What?” Hongjoong asks. “I’m sorry that I’m not as optimistic as you?” 

“It’s not optimism,” Seonghwa says through gritted teeth. “It’s that you don’t trust me.” 

“That isn’t true—”

“It is though!” Seonghwa cuts him off. “You said you would trust me from now on, but you still don’t.” 

“I do!” Hongjoong insists. 

“No, you don’t,” Seonghwa snaps back at him. “Have you ever really trusted me? I mean, I understood it to some extent when we first started working together. I didn’t exactly trust you either, but have you ever once trusted me since then?” 

“What are you talking about? Of course I have!” 

“Like when?” Seonghwa demands. “You never even admitted that the Crowned Thorn court was the one you once belonged to. You still won’t, and you’re clearly hiding something from me! How can I help if you don’t keep me in the loop?”

“What would you need to know about?” Hongjoong asks. “Okay, fine, so I didn’t admit that I once belonged to that court, but why would I want to? You know what they did to me!”

“And knowing that you were a member certainly gave us a lead as to what they actually wanted, didn’t it?” Seonghwa argues. 

“I trust you just fine,” Hongjoong says dismissively. “You’re a hunter. I know what you’re capable of and I trusted you with Yunho’s life!” 

“Then why don’t you tell me the truth?” Seonghwa challenges him. “What’s really going on? What are we dealing with when it comes to these fairies?”

Hongjoong stutters in his steps at Seonghwa’s inquiry, and his heart skips a beat. “What do you mean?” he asks. “Why would it be any different than dealing with any old fae court? I thought you were an expert at this stuff.” 

Seonghwa sends him a sharp look that has the fae reeling back, an apology on the tip of his tongue. Right. This is exactly what Seonghwa was just complaining about. “I know a lot about how fae courts operate, but I’m not exactly an expert on dismantling courts. Taking just one fae out was hard enough on its own. I’d imagine it would take an organization to take down a fairy court.” 

“Well, you’re not wrong about that,” Hongjoong concedes. “It’s just one of our many problems when it comes to this particular case. The Queen won’t exactly be easy to just take out let alone bring her in front of a pack of werewolves to bring her to justice. She knows this.”

“Then what would be the best way to get at her?” Seonghwa questions. 

“Hypothetically speaking the easiest way would simply be to turn the court against her. Without the support of the court she could be dethroned in favor of someone less problematic for them,” Hongjoong surmises. “Realistically though, I’m not sure how plausible that idea is. It’s very rare for a court to turn against its Queen, and this one in particular has been ruling for centuries now.” 

“What would turn a court against its Queen though?” 

Hongjoong shrugs his shoulders, genuinely uncertain this time. “It depends on the court I would say,” he answers. “Different courts might be run by different politics. Honestly I’ve never even heard of a court turning against the throne in my lifetime. We have stories from times of old when the courts were very tumultuous though.” 

Seonghwa takes a sip of his coffee as they head back into their office. “But you were once a part of this court,” he points out. “In your opinion what might cause the court to turn against her?” 

Sighing, Hongjoong crosses his arms over his chest as he follows Seonghwa over to his desk. “If they were to feel she were putting her needs above those of the court or was putting them all in danger by targeting us like this they might turn against her, but it’s no easy task.” 

“Okay, well that’s something to work from,” Seonghwa remarks as he sinks into his seat. 

“What are you thinking?” Hongjoong asks him. 

“Don’t you think wasting her time trying to torture you is a an example of not taking into account the courts needs?” 

“No. By extension I am also an enemy of the court. They’ll support her behavior in this case.” Hongjoong frowns a little. It’s too bad Minho is no longer favorable in court. He hates to say it, but Minho could have been one ally Hongjoong could count on. 

“God, this is why I’ve always hated faes,” Seonghwa mutters harshly. Hongjoong winces at his tone and drops his gaze to the ground. He knows somewhere in the back of his head that those words probably don’t apply to him, right? Right? They still hurt though. His wings may be glamoured, but Hongjoong still distinctly feels them on his back. They’re a horrid sight, but also a reminder of who and what exactly he is. “They get fixated on one thing and have to destroy it.” 

“Seonghwa,” Hongjoong calls for the human, taking a few steps back as he wrestles with himself over whether or not he actually wants to ask. 

“What?” the human asks. 

“Your sister,” he whispers out before biting down on his bottom lip to gauge the human’s reaction. Seonghwa freezes, the lid of his coffee cup pressed to his lip. “How did she...why did fairies take her?” he asks quietly. It was a rather uncommon occurrence. They weren’t hunters, just average humans, and those rarely got caught up in fae business. 

Seonghwa is quiet at his question, and Hongjoong gets the distinct feeling that he might have just fucked up. He’s never asked about it, and Seonghwa has not talked about her at all, but she’s clearly the reason he hates fairies so much. Hongjoong isn’t sure what drives him to ask other than the burning curiosity. Why did Seonghwa hate his kind so much? 

Hongjoong thinks about trying to take back his question—tell Seonghwa to forget it because it’s not like it’s really important to their current problem. He just wanted to know why Seonghwa hated him so much. 

“I don’t know,” the human finally answers after a long pause. 

Hongjoong lifts his gaze up to stare at him in shock. “You don’t know?” he repeats. 

“I was young when it happened,” Seonghwa says as he sets his cup down on his desk. “I wasn’t even a teenager yet. One day my sister was there and the next she was gone. The talk of the town was that she just disappeared. The police treated her like she was a runaway, didn’t even care. I didn’t understand what really happened for a long time. My parents just suddenly uprooted us to move. I found out later that she had been taken by fairies. It took me even longer to understand exactly what  _ that _ meant too.”

“That...that seems odd,” Hongjoong admits. “Fairies act in their self-interest more than anything else. Kidnapping a random human girl might have drawn attention.” 

“Fairies are equally as bold and brazen,” Seonghwa retorts. “Humans are just toys for them. If they want one they’ll take it.” He looks over at Hongjoong when he says this, searching the fae’s expression for something. The redhead quickly tears his gaze away from the human though, uncertain of what he was looking for. 

This is why their relationship is so fucked up, Hongjoong thinks. A fae who had lost his human, and a human who had lost his family to fairies. They had a common enemy, and still Seonghwa had every reason to hate him while Hongjoong could only flounder in his fear of losing another precious human.

“Seonghwa—”

“I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” Seonghwa cuts him off. “We have work to do.” 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seongjoong continue to be lowkey at each other's throats

San blinks, caught off guard when Seonghwa saunters up to his bar on a busy Friday night. His old partner hasn’t really been one for bars since he gave up hunting, and he particularly hates this one—probably a mixture of his general annoyance towards Wooyoung and his distaste for the mixed patronage. San can only recall a handful of times Seonghwa has willingly come on his own and it was typically at Yunho’s behest when the werewolf couldn’t make it for whatever reason. 

Yunho is here tonight though, so San can’t help but wonder what exactly Seonghwa is here for. 

The older man walks straight up to him. A timid little vampire girl quickly abandons her spot at the bar when she senses the human approach, perhaps able to smell the potential danger, and Seonghwa shamelessly takes over her seat. 

“Hey,” San greets him. “What are you doing here?” 

Seonghwa takes a look around the bar, squinting his eyes as he searches for a familiar mutt. “Where’s Yunho?” he asks, a little bit concerned that he can’t spot the werewolf. Yunho hadn’t called him to ask him if he could pick San up tonight, so he would have figured the werewolf would be hanging around. 

San wordlessly points behind him, and Seonghwa turns to see Yunho stumble through the dining floor with a tray of carefully balanced plates. Seonghwa raises an eyebrow as he watches the werewolf struggle to bring his balancing act over to a table. He turns back to San, biting back on a laugh. “Did Wooyoung give him a job here?” 

San shakes his head. “No, this is forced labor,” he smiles at his own little joke. “Wooyoung’s been sick of him just hanging around, so he figured Yunho owes him time in work hours. I wish he wouldn’t,” San sighs as his eyes follow his boyfriend. “He’s supposed to wake up at seven tomorrow to go to work.” 

“He’s dedicated. I’ll give you that,” Seonghwa remarks as he motions for San to give him a drink. 

“So what are you doing here then?” San asks, pouting as he hands the elder a drink. 

“I’m looking for your vampire friend.” 

“Vampire friend?” San asks. Seonghwa notices the way he gulps. “Who is that?” 

“Some local clan leader,” Seonghwa says slowly as he brings the drink to his lips. He narrows his eyes at San’s response but wisely keeps the question to himself. “Wooyoung introduced us to her before. I wanted to talk to her again about something.” 

“Oh. Yongsun?” he asks. 

“Yes. Her.” Seonghwa recognizes the name. 

“Oh, yeah. She comes by on most weekends. Why are you looking for her?” 

“I just have some questions about the case we’re working on.” 

“Well—” San glances over Seonghwa’s shoulders and stutters when he catches sight of a very familiar face. “She’s right there,” he says, pointing at the approaching vampire. 

Seonghwa turns his head right as Yongsun walks right up to them. Like they’re long time friends, she slips an arm around Seonghwa’s shoulders and bumps into him with her hip. Seonghwa doesn’t so much slide out of his seat as Yongsun forces him out to slip onto the stool herself. “Ah, my old favorite human and my new one,” she remarks as she runs her fingers along the line of Seonghwa’s neck. 

Seonghwa picks her arm up by the wrist and removes her hand from him. She doesn’t appear bothered by his actions, folding her arms on top of the bar instead. San smiles at her and says, “Am I the old favorite?” 

“Yes,” she says. “I prefer humans who are not taken.” She turns her puppy eyes up to Seonghwa who refuses to meet her gaze. 

“And if I make you your favorite drink?” San bargains. 

She leans over the counter towards him and purrs, “Then I suppose we can negotiate your position.” When San walks away from them to start on her drink, she turns to face Seonghwa with her lips pulled up into a smile. “I hear you’re looking for me.” 

“Are you eavesdropping on my conversations?” Seonghwa shoots back. 

“Part of the job,” she dismisses with a wave of her hand. “Plus, I can’t help it if my hearing is just a little better than most. What is it that you wanted from me?” 

“Information. About that fae court you told us about before,” Seonghwa answers. 

“Oh?” she sounds a little intrigued. “Did you find something out about them?” 

“Have you?”

She smiles, impressed by Seonghwa’s ability to dance with her like this with his words. “And what would you offer me in exchange?”

Seonghwa shifts his weight from one foot to the other and shies away from the vampire’s sharp smile. He sucks in a deep breath. “What do you want?” he asks. 

“I think you know.” 

The human bites down on the inside of his cheek and side-eyes the vampire. “No,” he answers curtly. “You cannot drink from me.” 

“Well, that’s too bad,” she remarks, turning back to San when he comes by with a bloody mary for her. She accepts it with a smile before leaning in close to whisper something to him. San casts him a quick look before moving away to take care of other customers. Seonghwa grits his teeth as he watches her take a sip of her drink. Is that it then? She just won’t answer his questions. “It’s okay,” she assures him as if reading his mind. “I’m well aware of the type of job you held before you came here, and I fully understand exactly why such a human is qualified to be working the type of cases you and your little fae boyfriend take. You can offer me more than just blood.” 

“Like what?” Seonghwa asks suspiciously. He’s not willing to let her imply anything. He wants her to state her terms clearly for him. 

“Protection.” 

Seonghwa raises his eyebrows at her answer. “Protection?” he repeats. “From what exactly?” 

“Yourself and other potential threats,” she answers. “Don’t think I don’t know what brought the three of you here in the first place—yourself along with the werewolf and the fae. I know the incident wasn’t exactly solved either. I fear for my clan should this place become a battleground for hunters.”

Seonghwa takes a step back from her as his heart rate picks up in fear. Wooyoung had told him that Yongsun was very old and very knowledgeable, but he hadn’t truly feared her until this moment. “If you knew who we are, why pretend that you don’t? Last time we met you seemed shocked to learn who Yunho even was.” 

“Why show my hand to other players if I don’t need to?” she questions with a smile. 

“Then why show your hand now?” 

“I’ve only shown you a small part of it,” she tells him. “In good faith. I hope we can be allies, if you will.”

“Then you knew about Jisung that whole time?” 

“I told you last time that I was aware of fae agents in the city,” she corrects him. “And I did not lie to you about that. I did not particularly anticipate they would have a werewolf amongst their own, but you found him, you captured him, so you’ve clearly moved forward with your case. But you need more information because the werewolf could not tell you anything of much use, could he?” 

Seonghwa clenches his fists to hide the trembling in his hand. “How could you possibly know about that?” he asks. “There were only four of us there.” Only the four of them knew about Jisung. Unless one of them had leaked it somehow—but Seonghwa doesn’t think any of them would. He trusts them. Even Yunho. 

“One of mine saw you chase him down. Everything else was merely an educated guess. For example, I can’t say with certainty what you did with him afterwards.” Her eyes glint with interest. “And you’re wrong. Five knew.” 

“ _Who?_ ” Seonghwa demands, the hairs on his nape rising at the idea. Who else could have known? 

“An old acquaintance of your partner’s,” she replies simply. “He confronted the redhead about it some days ago now, but I’m afraid the details could not be picked up by my agent. Didn’t he tell you?” She smiles at the confusion and then anger that crosses the human’s expression. Clearly, he hadn’t known. “So he didn’t tell you. My, what kind of lover would keep such solicitous affairs from you,” she tuts in a joking voice. “Although, I can’t say I don’t understand him considering the circumstances.” 

Seonghwa takes a deep breath and looks down at this vampire as she takes a dainty little sip of her drink. “What do you know?” he asks, conceding to the fact that he needs her help. He needs whatever information she’s willing to offer, and Seonghwa knows it. 

“Your word,” she demands first. “If I need you, you will help me. Give me your word, and I’ll share what I know.” 

He examines her for a moment before scanning the bar to look at the other patrons. None of them seem to be paying attention to their conversation, but he also notices the way many turn away from her in respect. He catches San’s eyes from the other side of the bar. The younger man only offers him a questioning look, however. “Why would you want to make a deal with me and not the fairies?” he finally asks. “I can’t be better than an entire court.” 

“Sure, you hold little power in comparison to a fae court, but I don’t need power. I need loyalty.” She looks up at him with a serious look and for once her lips are not stretched out into a smile. “I’m not asking you to bow down to me at every turn if you’re worried about a little humiliation. I just prefer more reliable contacts than finicky faes. I’m not asking for much, and I promise you it will be worth your while in return.” 

“You’re not asking for much _right now_ ,” Seonghwa corrects, already worried about how she might collect on this debt in the future. But at this point, does he really have a choice? 

“And I offer you so much in return,” she persuades. “Not just what I know pertaining to your needs now, but I offer you an exchange of information if you would so like. You may think of yourself as only one person, but I know what you’ve done. I know what you’re capable of. And I’m well aware of the kinds of allies you have. I want those things in my fold for any future emergencies.” 

Seonghwa hates the feeling of being backed into a corner, but that’s exactly what’s happened. Hongjoong is hardly working with him, keeping things to himself and refusing to let Seonghwa in. The case is going nowhere. He just wanted insight as to where he might be able to find some of the Crowned Thorn fairies to kick start their investigation, but is that worth her trade? 

“I just wanted to know where to find some of those fairies,” he tells her truthfully. “Can you honestly say that’s worth it in my case?” 

“I definitely can because I can tell you that and so much more,” Yongsun assures him. “Just give me your word first. Let us be allies, Seonghwa. I promise you’d rather be that than my enemy.” 

Sighing, Seonghwa leans against the bar and hangs his head as he concedes, agreeing to her terms. 

“Very good,” she says in delight. She leans over the human to tap the patron sitting on the stool next to hers. All she has to do is jerk her head and the other quickly abandons his seat. Yongsun motions for Seonghwa to take a seat, and the human shivers as he sits down. “Now,” she says, flipping her hair back before taking hold of her drink again. “I hear fae hunting was one of your expertise. What do you know about fae courts?” 

“In what sense?” Seonghwa asks carefully. 

“Do you know how the courts are divided?” she asks, her smile back in place now. 

Seonghwa crosses his arms over his chest. “I know that there are many different courts spread out throughout the country. All the ones that we, as hunters I mean, knew about are considered part of the Seelie court.” 

Yongsun makes a pleased sound in the back of her throat as she takes another sip of her bloody mary. “Good. You know about the Seelie court. They were once a united court, but they’ve since broken up into smaller regional courts like the one your little boyfriend is from.” 

“I know that,” Seonghwa mutters, wondering why she’s delving into a history lesson for him. 

“Then surely you know about the Unseelie court as well.” 

“I’ve heard of it,” Seonghwa sniffs without saying much else. He knows of it to a degree, but, if he’s being entirely truthful, the existence of the Unseelie court was more a myth among hunters than an accepted fact. Fairies belonging to the Unseelie court hadn’t been seen for a millenia, and they were more of a footnote in the hunters mind than anything else. 

“But you don’t know much about them,” Yongsun deduces as she leans over the bar. 

“I thought they were a myth,” Seonghwa admits. 

“Oh. They are very real,” she assures him. “Although I do suppose they wouldn’t draw much attention from humans these days. You know why there is a divide, don’t you?” 

“I was taught that the Seelie court—or courts, now—are run by Queens. The Unseelie are ruled by a King. This was the divide, wasn’t it?” 

“To an extent,” she answers. “It was really just a messy divorce if we’re being honest. I love some good drama, but even I have my limits.” Seonghwa licks his lips nervously, not particularly fond of the way she talks about it like she was there. “You know, it was typical marriage issues I suppose. There were disagreements between the King and Queen as to how their court should be ruled. The King, in particular, hated humans. Wanted nothing to do with them, and wished to keep the court hidden from them, but the Queen thought humans were a delightful toy. Up until they learned that iron could quite literally burn a fae from the inside out.” 

“What’s your point?” Seonghwa asks, growing tired of her history lesson. How does any of this help him exactly? 

“Patience, Seonghwa. We haven’t even gotten to the good parts yet,” she hushes him. “The court split in that way. The Unseelie, for all intents and purposes, disappeared from the human eye while the Seelie court was soon plagued by power struggles from opposing views on how exactly humans and other threats should be treated. These fractured courts make up the courts you know today, including the Crowned Thorn court. But did you know that these courts have always been under threat by the Unseelie court?” 

Seonghwa perks up at her question, his eyes filled with curiosity. Yongsun can’t help but grin as she continues to pull on his leash. “The Unseelie would see to reunite the court with a King in power. They view the Seelie Queens as weak and unfit, but they are numerous and powerful now in their own right. Reunification is no easy task.” 

“What does that have to do with our case?” Seonghwa asks, trying his best to rein in his own curiosity. “We’re dealing with a dead werewolf.” 

“It has to do with a lot more than you think.” The vampire tilts her head at him. “Where has all this led back to so far? You caught the werewolf who did it, and yet you’re trying to use him as bait to lure out the fairies. Why? Where did he lead you to?” She raises her eyebrows when Seonghwa takes a deep breath, clearly coming to the right answer. “Your little redhead,” she says for the both of them. 

“Okay. How?” 

“Now, you’re asking me the right questions.” She sits up in her seat and rolls her shoulders back. “I looked into him. I looked into all of you. I must say, I don’t blame him for being smitten with you.” She turns to look at Seonghwa. “You look an awful lot like a human he once loved.” 

“So he’s told me before,” Seonghwa answers. 

Her eyes gleam with interest. “So you know?” 

“I know he looked like me. I know Hongjoong’s court tricked him, and I know Hongjoong killed him as a result.” 

“So he shared that much with you,” she ponders. “Curious how someone who hates fairies so much would choose to return such affections, however.” 

Seonghwa presses his tongue to the back of his teeth and tries to hold back on dignifying her with a response. However, he can’t quite stop himself from quipping, “I’m not a hunter anymore.” 

“Just because you quit being a hunter doesn’t mean you’ve necessarily changed your viewpoints. Look how suspicious you are of me when I’m only trying to help.” 

“Only offering your help is different from forcing my hand,” Seonghwa retorts. 

“I offered you a good deal!” she defends 

“Then pay up on your end. What’s your point?” 

She presses her lips into a thin, bitter line but relents to his demands. “Did he tell you why they targeted his human?” Seonghwa’s silence is answer enough, but in all fairness the human didn’t think Hongjoong needed to. He figured it was just typical fae cruelty that led him to being targeted. Hongjoong presented them with an easy target and they took it. “It was the excuse the Queen needed to force him out,” Yongsun answers for him. 

“And I assume there was a reason she needed to force him out?” 

“So glad you asked.” She takes another sip of her drink. “Although, I admit this is where the narrative gets muddy even for me. The rumor I came across is that he may or may not have been solicited by a member of the Unseelie court. They were looking for an ally to help them usurp the Queen’s throne.” 

“So they asked for help from a fae with a human lover?” Seonghwa questions, doubting the validity of that given Yongsun’s own explanation of the Unseelie courts views. 

“It’s said that it cost him the support—if that’s what he sought in the first place. It also provided his Queen a weapon to use against him and eliminate him as a threat at the same time. She just wanted him removed from his court position, killing her toy is why he was banished.”

“Then what the hell is this? She got what she wanted, so why try to kill his werewolf friend now?” 

“That,” Yongsun says, “I do not know.” Seonghwa holds back a groan of frustration while she laughs at him. “I’m just giving you what I figured was some much needed context. I know faes, better than you do little boy. Lover boy is keeping secrets from you.” 

“How could you tell?” Seonghwa asks hollowly. It’s not even a real question, but she answers him anyways. 

“Because, if he told you the truth, you wouldn’t be seeking the help of a vampire in the first place. However, I can gladly say I appreciate him for that. Without him I wouldn’t have been able to broker out this partnership.” She holds a hand out to him, offering to shake on it and laughing when Seonghwa just slaps it away from him. Her expression once again turns more serious. “You probably already know this, but you should be careful when dealing with a fairy court. Be extra careful with that redhead of yours,” she warns. “I have no doubt his affection for you is true, but a fae that cannot trust you is not worth trusting either. Keep that in mind or it might just cost you your life.” 

Seonghwa looks down at his lap but nods his head in agreement. 

She threads her fingers together and rests her chin on top of it as her friendly facade melts back into place. “Now, about where to find some of these fairies you’re looking for.” 

  
  
  
  


Hongjoong wakes up from a nightmare with a start, fighting against his blankets as he struggles to untangle himself from them. With a little cry he rolls off the bed, taking half the blanket with him. He shivers when the feeling of sweat rolling down his spine hits him and he frantically looks around as if to gauge if he’s actually awake and no longer trapped within his dream world. 

He tilts his head back to look up at the ceiling as he takes a moment to catch his breath and calm his raging heartbeat. It’s quiet and dark in his room, only the sound of the wind whistling as it blows against his window breaking through the silence every once in a while. Hongjoong just manages to get his breathing under control when a new fear begins to grip him, slow and consuming unlike the sharp panic he’d felt when he first woke up. 

“Seonghwa,” he breathes out the name before quickly untangling his legs from his blanket so he can stand up. 

He isn’t sure why he’s suddenly so scared for the human—maybe it’s the vivid dream still lingering in the back of his mind. Hongjoong rubs his hands together carefully, just to convince himself that they’re not wet and sticky with blood. Human blood. Seonghwa’s. 

He makes a break for his bedroom door. 

The apartment is just as dark and quiet as his bedroom. “Seonghwa?” he calls for the human in a quiet voice, shuffling down the hallway. His eyes quickly adjust to the dark, and he’s able to navigate towards the human’s room without much trouble. “Seonghwa?” he whispers again as he quietly pushes the door open. 

Part of him knows that he’s worried over nothing. It was just a dream, and Seonghwa would be safe and alive in his own bed. Hongjoong just feels the need to make sure. He just wants to see that the human is fine. 

Except when he opens the door, Seonghwa isn’t there. Hongjoong’s eyes fall to his bed, the sheets neatly made and no human shaped lump beneath it. His breath hitches as he palms along the wall for the light switch, turning on the light just to be sure, but Seonghwa isn’t in bed. 

“Seonghwa!” He calls the human’s name more loudly this time, hoping that he’s just somewhere else in the apartment. He gets no response though. 

The fear gives way to the panic again, and Hongjoong nearly trips over his own feet as he runs from the room. He systematically turns on all the lights in the apartment as he goes, calling out for the human periodically and half expecting the human to come bursting out of the bathroom to tell him to shut up. Except the bathroom door is open and it’s just as dark until Hongjoong flicks on the lights. 

“This isn’t funny,” he mutters to himself. “This isn’t fucking funny.” 

All the lights are on in the apartment before Hongjoong finally admits that Seonghwa isn’t home even though he’d been there earlier. They’d come home together. Hongjoong made sure of that. When did the human leave and why? 

He heads for the front door without thought once it hits him that the human is missing which means he must be somewhere outside. However, the door swings open just as Hongjoong reaches out for it, and the fae cries out in surprise when he’s knocked back by the force of the door slamming into him. 

Seonghwa also makes a noise of shock when he peers inside to see Hongjoong sprawled over the floor. “What the hell are you doing there?” he asks as he steps inside and closes the door behind him. 

Hongjoong stares up at him like he’s seen a ghost before he sputters. “What am I doing here? Where the hell have you been?” He eyes the way Seonghwa is dressed and narrows his eyes in suspicion. The last time he’d seen the human he’d been dressed in a ratty old pair of sweats and a t-shirt. Now he’s dressed like he’d gone for a night out in the city. 

Ignoring the fae’s question, Seonghwa holds a hand out to him to help him to his feet. “Where have you been?” the fae demands, following hot on the human’s heels as Seonghwa walks deeper into the apartment as he carefully unwinds his scarf from around his neck. 

“Working,” Seonghwa answers cryptically. He’d been going around to the different areas and establishments in the city Yongsun had told him fairies from the Crowned Throne court had been gathering. 

“At this time of night? By yourself?” Hongjoong pesters him. 

Seonghwa turns and shoves his scarf into the fae’s face just to quiet him down. “Yes,” he answers as Hongjoong claws at the cloth covering his face. “I’m a fully grown adult capable of making my own decisions. Is that a problem for you?” 

“It’s dangerous though!” Hongjoong hisses as he rips the scarf away from his face. 

Seonghwa’s anger flares as he glares down at the fae before him. Yongsun’s words from a few days ago coming back to him with a vengeance. “I can take care of myself,” he snaps. “I might not be a fae or a werewolf but I’m a trained hunter, Hongjoong.” 

“It’s not about that! I know you can take care of yourself, but we’re in the middle of a sensitive case here. What if something happened? I wouldn’t have even known for hours if I hadn’t woken up earlier,” the fae nags him. “What are you even doing at this time of night for the case?” 

Seonghwa snorts at his defense and shakes his head. Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. “I’m trying to get leads because  _ you _ clearly just want to sit on your ass and twiddle your thumbs. Are you honestly trying to solve this case or is there something else you’re trying to accomplish here?” 

Hongjoong’s lips part in shock at the human’s response. “What...what the hell are you talking about?” 

“I’m asking what you’re fucking doing,” Seonghwa growls at him. “Who are you working for?” 

Hongjoong knits his eyebrows together in confusion at that question. What the hell is that even supposed to mean? “What are you talking about? We work together. What the hell do you mean who do I work for?” 

“Then what’s your goal?” Seonghwa demands instead. “Hm? What do you get out of keeping secrets from me? Do you—” he holds his tongue at the last minute, refusing to take a cheap shot at the fae in his anger. He wants to ask if Hongjoong  _ wants _ him to fall victim to the fairy court. He’s annoyed with the fae’s secrets and his behavior recently, but he doesn’t really think that. However, the doubt nibbles at the back of his mind, not helped by Yongsun’s warnings for him. 

“I’m not keeping secrets from you,” Hongjoong denies. 

Seonghwa releases the breath he’d been holding. Whatever anger he managed to quash down comes back full force at that moment. “Then who was the fae you met with? The one from the court we’re supposedly investigating. Why didn’t you tell me about him?” 

Hongjoong tenses up at his accusation, but Seonghwa can see how surprised he is by the question. So Yongsun had told him the truth. “What—how did you even know about that?” he asks cautiously. 

“What were you even thinking?” Seonghwa scolds him. 

“It....he didn’t tell me anything all that important.” Hongjoong scratches at the back of his neck as his eyes dart around before finally settling on the human who stares at him. “I just,” he stutters, “I just didn’t think I needed to tell you.” 

“Well, if it’s not important then surely you wouldn’t mind sharing what he told you with me,” Seonghwa challenges. He cocks an eyebrow when Hongjoong clears his throat but doesn’t respond to him.

“Tell me what you’re doing first,” Hongjoong demands, trying to turn the human’s logic against him. “Why are you sneaking out at night to work on the case? What are you doing?” 

“I’m not sneaking out anywhere. I’m just going to do my job at the time it’s most convenient for me to get what I need.” 

“And what do you need?” the fae presses. 

“Information!” Seonghwa exclaims as he flails his arms in frustration. “I’ve been going to gather intel on the fairies we’re dealing with. I’ve been going to the places they’re hanging out or have been spotted in.”

Hongjoong gasps at Seonghwa’s words, caught off guard by his candid response. “You’re _seeking them out?_ ” he asks, scandalized by the very thought. He knows Seonghwa is smarter. He knows his way around fairies—how they tend to operate and how to avoid all that. But in the fae’s eyes he is still a human. Wiser and stronger than most maybe, but still just as fragile and vulnerable as the rest of them, and his fear of seeing that vulnerability crushed again seizes his entire thought process at that moment. “Are you _insane?_ Do you have any idea what they want?” 

“Clearly you,” Seonghwa snorts. 

“You don’t get it!” Hongjoong yells at him even as he reaches out to grab the human by the arm. “Some fucking fae expert you are. You don’t know anything!” 

“And who’s fucking fault is that?” Seonghwa explodes back at him. He pushes the fae back from him and twists his arm out of the “I know about fairies in general. Of course I’m not a fucking expert on the internal politics of any particular fae court, but it’s not exactly helped by the fact that you’re consistently keeping things from me.” 

Hongjoong frowns and curls his hands into a tight fists at his side to keep himself from reaching for the human again. “What are you even talking about? What am I keeping from you?” 

“Your fae friend for one.” 

“He didn’t even say anything really—” 

“Fine. Then tell me why you think you’re being targeted?”

Hongjoong scoffs at the demand like it’s the funniest joke he’s heard in a long while. “Why do I think I’m being targeted? You’re the one who pushed this narrative!”

“Because I’m right! And we both know that, but I’m not stupid enough to pretend like I know what they want with you.”

“You do know though! We talked about this already,” Hongjoong snaps defensively. “My kind are vindictive and petty. We like revenge.” 

“She could have had that years ago if she wanted it badly enough,” Seonghwa argues. “Why now?” 

“How should I know?” Hongjoong snaps defensively. 

“Because you know something, don’t you?” Seonghwa accuses him. “Because the timing of this is off. Something just doesn’t add up about her actions. Why Yunho? Why kill him just to hurt you?” 

“Fairies don’t kill each other,” Hongjoong tells him. “It’s against our principals. That’s why I was banished and not killed. Yunho is just a proxy for them to use to hurt me.” 

“Okay, fine. Let’s say that’s true. How long have you been with Yunho? How many years have you cared for that werewolf, and  _ now _ they come slinking down from the north to try and kill him?” 

Hongjoong stutters, genuinely dumbfounded by the question. “What...do you mean?” 

“You’ve been with Yunho for years, haven’t you?” Seonghwa goads him. “Why, in all that time, did they not go for you then? What did you even do to be banished? Was it just because of this human you liked?” 

Hongjoong squares his shoulders, expression turned into a carefully blank canvas as he squints at the human. Seonghwa swallows thickly because he can feel the shift in the fae’s mood. He’s more calculating now. “What are you implying?” he asks finally. 

Seonghwa presses his lips into a thin line but sees no benefit in dancing around the issue with Hongjoong any longer. “Did it have anything to do with her suspicion that you were an agent of the Unseelie court?” he asks bluntly. 

He cracks Hongjoong’s mask with that question. The fae blinks as his expression melts into one of shock, lips parting in surprise. Seonghwa resists the urge to roll his eyes and express his own frustrations. He doesn’t even need Hongjoong to confirm it anymore. Yongsun had told him the truth. He can see it in the way Hongjoong reacts to him. “Where...where the hell did you hear that?” he stutters. 

“From a reliable source,” Seonghwa answers. “So that’s it, right? She hates you because you were working against her anyways.” The fae turns his head away, but Seonghwa refuses to let him try and deflect it this time. He presses the fae harder, pulling out all the information he remembers the vampire giving him. 

“She’s a fickle ruler, even by fae standards,” Hongjoong defends. “And the court was never meant to be divided. What do you want me to say? ” 

“You put an innocent person at risk!” Seonghwa criticizes. “You said you wanted him to be a part of your culture. Was being a part of your revolution just a consequence of that?” 

“That was an accident!” Hongjoong shrieks at him. 

Seonghwa continues to press his advantage, maybe a little too much. “Is that what you tell yourself to feel better about it or were you just that naive?” 

The fae releases a frustrated cry and lunges for Seonghwa. “How dare you?” he growls at the human. He flails a little when Seonghwa catches him around the waist, twisting them around to pin the fae against the wall. Hongjoong claws at his hands and bares sharpened teeth at him in a clear threat. “You think I did it on purpose?! He came along after! And I was never an Unseelie spy!” 

Seonghwa loosens his hold around Hongjoong enough for the fae to thrash himself free before he promptly sags against the wall. “Just tell me the truth. The whole truth. What happened back then and what does it have to do with what she wants with you now?” Seonghwa pleads with him. “I can’t help you if I don’t have the full picture.” 

“Why do you want to help?” Hongjoong mutters bitterly. “Because we’re partners? Don’t kid yourself. I know how you feel about my kind.” 

Seonghwa presses his lips into a thin, annoyed line for a moment before he shakes his head at the fae’s response. “Stop being a willful idiot,” he scoffs as he runs gentle hands up Hongjoong’s side. The fae shudders and melts into Seonghwa’s touch, and the human continues to milk him for more of that reaction. “We’re more than just partners. You know that. It’s been like this since that night. I may not like fairies the same way you don’t like hunters, but I’m not strong enough to reject exceptions.” 

Hongjoong slumps forward, falling towards the human to rest his forehead on Seonghwa’s shoulder. For a moment he just takes in a few deep breaths, gathering himself. When he’s finally ready he says, “I was solicited by an agent of the King more than a century ago.” Seonghwa moves his hands over to Hongjoong’s back and gently pats him on the back. “Don’t get me wrong. Even back in my days as a court fae I was not exactly a staunch supporter of my Queen, but I was no supporter of the King either. He wanted to reunite the Seelie and Unseelie together, which I didn’t necessarily oppose, but with him as the ultimate head of the reunified court. And I didn’t agree with that. I told his agent that I wasn’t interested. I may not have loved my Queen, but I enjoyed being in her court much more than I liked the idea of starting a coup.” 

“So what happened?” Seonghwa questions. 

“I told them I wouldn’t be a part of this plan, and I thought that was it. And then I met—” he cuts himself off when he bites down on his tongue. His voice is thicker, too, as he fights back his tears. Seonghwa tightens his hold around the fae, tucking the redhead’s head beneath his chin. “I knew. I always knew there was a risk there, but there’s no rule that bans us from interacting with humans. The Queen never should have cared about it, and if not for that he would have been safe. Nobody would dare to touch him. Not when they knew he was _mine_. But the Queen…” 

“Because she did care,” Seonghwa muses, “you couldn’t do anything, especially once she had him. So, the question is, why did she care?” 

“I’ve had ideas,” Hongjoong mumbles into the human’s shoulder. “During my time in court, I held a position of great power, but there was another fae who coveted my position, and he has always had the Queen’s ear. She listens to him almost religiously.”

“Why?” 

“Her claim to the throne is weak at best,” he explains. “You know about the Seelie and Unseelie court, right? After the divide the Unseelie remained united while the Seelie fractured in the aftermath. Many of the King and Queen’s daughters moved to start their own court. That is why there are so many Seelie courts. She is just one of those daughters, but she’s not nearly as shrewd as her parents. She is still the Queen, of course, but a ruler...she is not. This fae knew this, saw her as an easy puppet, but I was in the way.” 

“So this was all his plan?” Seonghwa asks. “What happened all those years ago and now? That’s all on him?” 

“I don’t know,” Hongjoong admits. “I never had proof, but he did it. I’m sure of it. He’s the one who poisoned my lover, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he convinced her to do this as well.” 

Seonghwa moves his hands up further to Hongjoong’s shoulders and pushes the fae away from him. “Why didn’t you just tell me?” he asks. Laughing, Hongjoong drops his arms down to his side. “You told me everything else,” Seonghwa points out. 

“Why did I need to tell you?” the fae asks hoarsely. “Why am I obligated to tell you my life story when you don’t tell me yours?” 

Seonghwa places his hands on his hips and peers down at the fae with narrowed eyes. “And what about my life did you want to know that you didn’t already?” 

Hongjoong hesitates, a little caught off guard by the human’s response when he’d been expecting Seonghwa to be more defensive. “You parents?” he finally gets out after hesitating too long. 

“Dead,” Seonghwa answers without missing a beat. “But you already knew that, didn’t you?” 

“How?”

“Vampire attack.” Seonghwa meets Hongjoong’s eyes when the fae blinks at his answers. “I was lucky. I was at a friend’s house that night. My sister disappeared only six years before though. After her and then my parents I just figured if I wasn’t a hunter I might as well have been spitting on their graves.” He jerks his chin towards the fae and asks, “Anything else you want to know or will you still pretend that I’m the one not trusting you enough?” 

“Would you shut up?” Hongjoong snaps at him. “I trust you just fine!” 

“Then why did I have to find this out from somebody else?”

“Because you’re nosy!” Hongjoong glares up at the human. “You’re nosy as hell. None of that was your business! I didn’t tell you because I didn’t think it was important. It’s not my problem you stuck your nose into my  _ past _ business. You said it yourself,” he waves hand towards Seonghwa, “you’re not him. Why do you care so much about him? Huh?” 

“This is important—”

“How?!” Hongjoong cuts him off. “How is it important? You say you’re not him, that you’re your own person, but you certainly seem interested in knowing every fucking thing about him.”

Seonghwa clenches his teeth together and glares down at the fae. “What do I want to know about him?” he asks. His calm tone betrays the fury brimming underneath the surface. Hongjoong feels his hairs raise in fear, and his own anger quickly dissipates as he lowers his head down in guilt. “I want to know what happened because the incident was clearly important to you. It also clearly had to do with much more than just the fact that you loved a human, but when did I ever want to know something about him?” 

Hongjoong shuffles back from the human, wincing when his back hits the wall and he realizes that he’s trapped. He feels smaller and smaller with every word Seonghwa speaks, and he berates himself for even starting this fight in the first place. Why did he think it was a good idea to go off on Seonghwa like that? He didn’t even really believe any of it to begin with. He just wanted Seonghwa to stop talking. That was all. 

“I’m not the one who who’s trying to be him.  _ You _ are the one who’s trying to push him onto me.” 

“That’s not true,” Hongjoong denies, his voice coarse. 

“Isn’t it?” Seonghwa challenges him. When Hongjoong doesn’t answer he scoffs and takes a step back from the fae. “You’re the one always comparing me to him whether you do it out loud or not. I know that. I’m not stupid. Is that why you pretend we’re just partners? Because I’m such a disappointing replacement?” 

“Don’t,” Hongjoong pleads more than he demands. “Stop. That’s not what I meant.” 

“Just because you don’t mean it doesn’t mean that’s not how you feel!” Seonghwa snaps at him. “You  _ want _ me to be that replacement for you, but I’m not! Because I’m a hunter. Because I grew up hating fairies. I’m everything he wasn’t, and you don’t trust me because of that.” 

“I trust you!” 

“Then why don’t you tell me the truth?” Seonghwa yells at him. “Why didn’t you tell me about this? You think I kept going with this because I’m such a dedicated detective or something? I  _ knew _ something about this was weird, and when I knew it had something to do with you, of course I wanted to solve it. I don’t care that much about fucking werewolf or fae politics. I care about _you_.” Hongjoong lifts his head up just enough to meet Seonghwa’s gaze before he quickly turns away when he sees the expression on the human’s face. “But you don’t because you don’t trust me.” 

Shaking his head, Seonghwa turns away to leave, and Hongjoong quickly jumps into action. “Wait,” the fae begs as he grabs the human by the wrist. Seonghwa immediately fights him, twisting his arm around to escape Hongjoong’s hold. “Please, Seonghwa! Hear me out.” 

“Hear what out?” Seonghwa barks at him, gritting his teeth as he pulls at his arm, but Hongjoong holds on tight. “You don’t want to talk about anything! Ever!” 

“It’s not that!” Hongjoong argues. “I’m just scared!” Seonghwa actually pauses at that, and Hongjoong finally has a moment to breathe a sigh of relief. He holds Seonghwa’s arm close to his chest and continues,“I’m fucking terrified, okay? I know the Queen. I know what she’s like. When I tell you that I used to hold a high position in her court, I meant it, okay? I was very nearly the second in command, and she drove me out. I lost all my support. I know what she can do, and it would be one thing if she were coming for me directly, but she’s not! She tried to get Yunho killed, and she wants _you!_ ” 

Seonghwa’s mind comes to an abrupt halt when he hears Hongjoong’s explanation, and it takes him a moment to fully process the fae’s words. “What?” he blurts out for lack of anything better to say. 

“She wants to take you the same way she did before and—” 

“And it didn’t occur to you to tell me that?” Seonghwa cuts in harshly. 

Hongjoong winces at the human’s harsh tone of voice and defends himself by saying, “I wanted to keep you safe.” 

“Keep my safe?” Seonghwa repeats in disbelief. “You actively kept this from me!” 

“I did it to protect you!” 

“How is that going to protect me?” Seonghwa demands. He points towards the door where he just came from and says, “Hongjoong, I’ve been out trying to find those fairies!”

“That’s why I’ve been wondering where you were! I was worried sick,” Hongjoong cries out. “I just didn’t want you to worry. That’s why I didn’t tell you. It wasn’t about trust, I swear. I just thought I could handle it on my own.

When he sees the human’s disappointed expression, his heart twists up in pain, and he loosens his hold around Seonghwa’s arm. “Not telling me could have gotten me killed or worse,” Seonghwa tells him. “You should have learned that the first time.” Seonghwa pries the fae’s hand from his arm and stalks off towards his bedroom. 

“Seonghwa!” the fae cries out for him as he chases after him. “Seonghwa, please.” 

“What?” the human demands as he steps into his room as he shrugs out of his jacket. 

Hongjoong trembles as he watches the human toss his coat carelessly into his closet before he starts to pull his shirt over his head. “Can’t you understand my perspective?” the fae asks him. 

Seonghwa bundles his shirt up into a ball as he turns to face the redhead. “No,” he says. “Because you should have known better.” 

Gritting his teeth together, Hongjoong hesitates for a moment as Seonghwa works to undo the button of his jeans. The fae pushes himself forward, quickly closing in on the human, and he grabs Seonghwa by the arm again. Seonghwa immediately resists him, but Hongjoong meets that fight this time, tightening his hold around the human when he tries to pull his hand back. 

“I’m sorry,” the fae apologizes. Seonghwa pauses at his apology and bites down on his lip when Hongjoong digs his nails into the soft skin of his arm. “You’re right. I should have told you, but I didn’t. And I’m sorry for that.” Hongjoong drops his gaze down to the human’s bare chest before traveling lower, down his arm to where his nails are digging into Seonghwa’s arm. He relaxes his grip around the human and all the tension seems to leave his body when he does. He tells Seonghwa, “But I promise you, I acted in what I thought was your best interest.” 

For a moment Seonghwa doesn’t respond to him. He stays frozen and silent in the wake of Hongjoong’s apology for a beat before he pulls his arm in towards himself—not to escape from the fae—but to draw him closer. Hongjoong’s breath hitches when he stumbles into Seonghwa’s body, his skin warm and firm against his cheek. The fae quickly melts into the human’s body, turning his head towards Seonghwa to press his nose into the crook of his neck. 

“You’re an idiot,” Seonghwa tells him, although the previous bite in his tone has abated. Hongjoong sniffles but doesn’t disagree with him. “I know that you don’t want to hear this, and I’m not telling you this because I’m mad. I’m not...I’m not mad anymore at least, but keeping this shit to yourself is what got your past boyfriend killed.” He feels how Hongjoong’s breaths pick up as he pants against Seonghwa’s shoulder. “We have to work together,” Seonghwa says as he wraps his arms around the fae’s body to pull him closer. “If we’re more than this—if we’re more than just partners—we need to work together from now on.” 

“Okay,” Hongjoong agrees in a small voice before he nibbles at the human’s collar bone. He’s careful not to bite down, but the urge to do it pulls at his stomach. “Okay. I understand. We’re more than just partners.” 

“Come here,” Seonghwa murmurs as he pulls the fae away from his closet.

  
  
  
  


Hongjoong can say in no uncertain terms that Seonghwa kisses him senseless. Despite all evidence to the contrary, Hongjoong is still surprised by the obvious depth and truth to the human’s feelings. It’s not necessarily as if Seonghwa’s been keeping it a secret, but those past kisses never quite hit him as hard as they have now. 

Seonghwa pulls him over to his bed, pulling the fae down on top of him as he lies back on his bed. Hongjoong falls into him easily enough, pliant when the human pulls him in closer. His breath is warm against Hongjoong’s cheek, and the fae licks his lips in anticipation before Seonghwa pulls him down for a kiss. 

Hongjoong melts into the human’s touch. Seonghwa’s skin is warm and soft against the fae’s cool body, and Hongjoong runs greedy hands across the expanse of Seonghwa’s bare chest. The human moves his own hands from where they rest on top of Hongjoong’s hips up the fae’s back before his fingers entangle themselves into Hongjoong’s red hair. He briefly pulls on the strands, coaxing a strangled moan from the fae when they briefly pull apart, before he pulls Hongjoong in closer again for a kiss. 

Seonghwa’s lips are plush against Hongjoong’s. The fae digs his nails into Seonghwa’s skin to keep himself grounded and stop his trembling. Seonghwa’s lips move against his in tandem. Hongjoong’s heartbeat picks up speed when Seongwah licks into his mouth, and a shiver travels throughout his body. 

He starts rutting his hips against Seonghwa without even realizing it. Hongjoong is so distracted by Seonghwa’s lips that he doesn’t even fully recognize exactly how hard he is until Seonghwa moves a hand back down to the fae’s hips, holding him still. When the friction fades, Hongjoong realizes just how aroused he is. He whimpers as he tries to rut down against Seonghwa again, the pathetic whine turning into a frustrated cry when Seonghwa holds him still. The shame sinks into him not long after that when he sits up on top of the human and feels how unaffected Seonghwa apparently is compared to Hongjoong. The

The fae presses his knuckles against Seonghwa’s chest and stares down at the human lying underneath him as he burns with shame. He sits there quietly for a humiliating moment with his legs straddling Seonghwa’s body. He begins to drown in an overwhelming sea of thoughts and self doubts. Had he actually misunderstood Seonghwa’s intention this whole time? He hadn’t joined the human with the express purpose of sleeping with him necessarily, but he thought Seonghwa liked him. He liked Hongjoong, right? This is just what they discussed, isn’t it? So why isn’t the human responding in kind? 

Hongjoong shifts back until he’s straddling Seonghwa’s thighs and moves his gaze down the human’s body until he sees, with certainty, the lack of a bulge in the human’s pants. As discreetly as possible, Hongjoong moves his arms to shield his own erection from Seonghwa’s gaze even though he must know already. He sniffs and wonders if he might ruin the mood if he suddenly declares that he’s tired and wants to go to bed, although it might be the only way to salvage his dignity at this point. 

He parts his lips to blurt out the first excuse that comes to mind only for a gasp to escape his throat when Seonghwa digs his fingers into Hongjoong’s hips and rolls them over. It’s not particularly rough movement, but Hongjoong’s breath still stutters when his back hits the mattress. Then his breath hitches, and he holds it when Seonghwa climbs on top of him. The fae shrinks back from the human, his stomach twisting into knots, his heart skipping a beat, and his cock twitching with interest at the dark look the human levels him with. His previous doubts quickly fade to the back of his mind as he runs his tongue along the bottom of his lip. 

Then Seonghwa reaches down to cup his hand over Hongjoong’s clothed erection and presses his palm down. Hongjoong’s mouth drops open in a silent moan as he arches his back and pushes his hips up into Seonghwa’s hand. The human smirks at his response and grinds his palm down over Hongjoong’s cock again. 

Seonghwa sits back on his heels to watch the fae writhe beneath him and licks his lips as he fights to rein in his own arousal. This hadn’t really been what he’d planned for. He really just wanted to make out with the fae for a bit now that Hongjoong wasn’t being so willfully oblivious anymore. He hadn’t anticipated that the redhead would be so quickly and easily aroused. 

Seonghwa hooks his fingers into the hem of Hongjoong’s sweatpants and just tugs it over his hip bone when he pauses to look at the fae. A littlest smidge of fear comes and passes when the fae blinks at him with bleary eyes, black and blue as his glamour appears disturbed. Hongjoong is still very much a dangerous creature after all which is probably why Seonghwa is all the more satisfied to have the redhead beneath him at this very moment. 

“Your glamour,” Seonghwa points out, not needing to say anything further.

Hongjoong lifts his hand up to cover his eyes, and when he grits his teeth, Seonghwa can see the sharpened fangs that only ever seem to make an appearance when the fae’s temper flares. “Sorry,” he apologizes. “It’s...hard to maintain.” 

“Don’t apologize,” Seonghwa murmurs as he digs his thumbs into Hongjoong’s hip bones. The fae sucks in a breath and tries to curl away from him, but the human holds him still. “It’s hot, seeing you lose control like this.” 

Hongjoong pulls his hands away from his face to peer up at the human who shivers when he meets the redhead’s gaze. He’s seen Hongjoong’s true form—at least most of it—before, but it still sends a thrill down his spine when he sees those pretty blue orbs set within a sea of black. On anyone else, Seonghwa might have thought them terrifying. Maybe even horrendous. But Hongjoong’s eyes were pretty, glamoured or not. 

“I’m not—Hng!” Hongjoong’s protest is cut short by a mewl when the human moves one hand back over his cock, pressing down and working the fae over as if just to prove a point. As if to prove how powerless the fae is beneath his touch. 

“Can I fuck you?” Seonghwa asks him casually as he hooks his fingers back into the fae’s pants again. He pulls them lower, just enough that his cock is half-revealed and half-trapped. 

Hongjoong reaches down to grab onto Seonghwa’s hands. Tugging on them, he urges the human to move and move quickly. Seonghwa doesn’t budge however. Like an unmoving statue, he holds still, dismissive of the fae’s desperate attempts to urge him on. He keeps Hongjoong in an infuriating state of half undressed as he waits patiently for an answer. 

Hongjoong pants and squints up at the human. His eyes flicker between the glamoured brown and unglamoured blue as he struggles to regain control of himself. He moves his hands up to Seonghwa’s shoulders and tries to pull himself up off the mattress only to grunt when Seonghwa shoves him back down with his hands pressed to his chest. Hongjoong wiggles around, the hem of his pants rolling down his hips just enough inch. 

“Seonghwa!” he complains as he grabs the human by the wrist and bends his knees in an attempt to rearrange himself. 

Seonghwa remains on top of him, however. He quickly pushes himself up onto his knees to give himself leverage over the fae, pinning the redhead’s hands to the bed and lifting a knee up to press his thighs down as well. Hongjoong stills, his chest heaving, and stares up at the human. His expression is initially combative—lips twisted up into a sneer and eyebrows furrowed together—although he quickly turns pliant when he meets the predatory look in Seonghwa’s eyes. 

Hongjoong relaxes back into the mattress with wide eyes and it hits him then. Seonghwa is different. Seonghwa is new. He’s not used to this. Seonghwa is tougher than any other human Hongjoong has ever known, but he still hadn’t thought the human would be so...dominant necessarily. It hadn’t been like that last time, with his past lover. He’d half expected the same thing, but Seonghwa seems intent with his current hold over the fae. 

“Can I fuck you?” the human repeats again. 

Hongjoong nods his head dumbly. “Yeah,” he says a beat later. 

Seonghwa bites back a smile and says, “You look scared.” 

Hongjoong shifts his hips, his cock throbbing and straining against the confines of his pants. Scared? No, he just wants Seonghwa to get on with it. “I’m not scared,” he denies even as his fingers tremble against Seonghwa’s shoulders. 

Seonghwa tilts his head down, resting their foreheads together, and Hongjoong’s eyes flutter shut as he holds his breath. “Not used to being beneath a human?” he asks, breathing those words out against Hongjoong’s cheek. 

The fae releases his breath only to suck in another one. “I can’t say I am,” he replies. 

“But you’re okay with it?” 

Hongjoong opens his eyes to stare up at Seonghwa, accepting that his glamour is falling apart in the wake of this human. He tilts his head up and brushes his lips against Seonghwa’s. He catches the human’s bottom lip between his, gently nibbling and suckling it. Seonghwa tilts his head down to kiss him back, muffling Hongjoong’s gasp. 

When he pulls away Hongjoong falls back against the mattress, huffing in deep breaths as he moves his hands down Seonghwa’s chest in soft caresses. “I’m okay with you,” he says in between heavy breaths. 

Seonghwa’s lips curl up into a pleased smile at the fae’s answer. He moves his head over to the side so that his lips brush against the outer shell of Hongjoong’s ear and whispers, “I appreciate it, but lucky for you I won’t fuck you tonight.” He pushes himself up onto his knees but nearly loses his balance when Hongjoong grabs his arm and pulls him back down. 

The fae stares at him with wide, fearful eyes. “What?” he asks in a small voice. “You’re not going fuck me?” 

“Don’t have the things necessary,” Seonghwa tells him gently. “No lube. No condoms. Unless you have some fae trickery up your sleeve.”

Hongjoong shakes his head, his red hair fanning out against the pillow. He looks so pretty like this. It’s a thought Seonghwa never imagined would cross his mind in his lifetime. Even with his glamour cracking under the pressure of his aroused state. His blackened eyes and sharpened teeth should be appalling to the human. Under any other circumstance with any other fae, Seonghwa would probably think it so, but Hongjoong is different. He has always been different. 

Seonghwa can’t exactly pinpoint when his opinion on the fae changed. The easy answer is the night of their first kiss, but the human knows that’s not quite right. If Hongjoong were just any other fae, he would have left him there with his dying werewolf friend, but he hadn’t because he couldn’t.

“You’re going to just leave me like this?” Hongjoong asks as his fingernails dig into Seonghwa’s bicep. 

The human blinks at the question before he stifles a laugh into his fist. Hongjoong frowns at his response, not liking the idea that Seonghwa is laughing at his predicament or his pain. He opens his mouth to protest only to squeal when Seonghwa cups his cock in his hand again, squeezing it just enough to be pleasurable. He runs his fingers over the head, taking too much pleasure in the way Hongjoong’s body shudders in response. 

He moves his hands back down to Hongjoong’s pants, tugging them down just far enough to reveal his hard cock. “Not so different from humans in this sense, huh?” 

“You’re the fae expert,” Hongjoong huffs out before breaking off into a whimper after Seonghwa spits into his hand to help ease some of the friction. 

“Well, I’ve certainly been learning many things I hadn’t known before,” the human remarks as he shoves Hongjoong’s oversized t-shirt up his chest. The fae shivers at the cool air that hits his abdomen and gasps when Seonghwa stuffs the end of his shirt into his mouth. It’s partly a gag but mostly a way to get as much of an eyeful of the fae’s body as he possibly can. “I suppose I’ll have to take my time to  _ thoroughly _ study,” he says as he circles his fingers over one of Hongjoong’s nipples. 

“Ah!” The shirt falls from Hongjoong’s lips as he moans. “Hng—hmph!” His little mewls and whines of pleasure are quickly cut off when Seonghwa shoves the end of his saliva dampened shirt back into his mouth. 

The fae understands the message loud and clear, whimpering when Seonghwa returns to teasing his nipples as his other hand moves down to play with his balls. Hongjoong writhes against the human as he bucks his hips up into Seonghwa’s hand while simultaneously twisting his torso to try and escape the absolute torture the human is inflincting on his nipples. 

Seonghwa revels in the sound of the fae’s muffled moans and cries of pleasure as he quickly works him over. He pinches and pulls on one of Hongjoong’s nipples, taking note of the way the redhead’s cock twistches in his hand in response to that. Seonghwa is definitely saving that for later. He moves his thumb over the head of Hongjoong’s cock, smearing his pre-cum as best he can over the head and shaft for a smoother glide. 

Hongjoong moans weakly at the wet feel, reaching out to wrap his arms around the human to draw him in closer. Seonghwa follows easily, draping himself over Hongjoong’s body. The fae ruts his hips up, his cock pressing into the dip in Seonghwa’s hip bone. The contrast between his smooth skin and his rough jeans on the underside of his cock is delicious. Hongjoong releases a particularly breathy moan from that and rolls his hips up again. 

Seonghwa moves his hand from Hongjoong’s cock to allow the fae to just hump against his body like that. With both his hands free now, he plays with the fae’s nipples. He rubs and pinches them, leaning down to lave his tongue over them as Hongjoong picks up the frantic pace of his humping. 

It’s nothing at all like how Seonghwa would have thought fairies would have sex. They do everything with purpose and grace, so to see Hongjoong quickly and easily fall apart beneath him like this is exhilarating. 

Hongjoong’s hips stutter against him, his hands coming up to tug at Seonghwa’s hair to lift the human’s head up. He shudders and cries out when he cums from just humping Seonghwa like an animal in heat. Allowing the t-shirt to drop from his lips, he turns his head just enough to bite down on Seonghwa’s shoulder as he paints his stomach white with his cum. He mewls into Seonghwa’s shoulders as he continues to rut his cock against Seonghwa’s body, milking his orgasm for all it was worth before he finally collapses back onto the bed. 

Seonghwa sits up, bringing a hand up to cup his head as his vision already begins to spot over. He feels sluggish, like his muscles are forcefully relaxed and unwilling to listen to him. “You bit me,” he accuses Hongjoong. 

The fae’s eyes snap open at the accusation. Forgetting his fatigue, Hongjoong abruptly sits up to stare at the human who’s crawling back on the bed. The effect is almost immediate, however, and obviously too strong for the human. He collapses onto his side, and Hongjoong cries out in alarm as he scrambles up onto his knees to crawl over to him. 

“Shit,” Hongjoong curses, ignoring the feeling of his cum drying against his stomach. “I didn’t mean to bite you. Fuck. That was an accident.” 

Seonghwa groans as he presses his palm against his forehead to try and stymie the wave of dizziness that hits him. “It’s fine,” Seonghwa slurs as the fae poison quickly sets in. He’s not exactly angry, but he is a little sick of fae poison running through his veins. 

Hongjoong reaches out to catch him when the human loses his balance and falls to his side. Carefully, he arranges Seonghwa on his back, propping his head up on the pillows as he helps the human stretch himself out. “Sorry,” he apologizes again. He hadn’t meant to do it, he just really felt the need to bite down on something in that moment although he should have been more mindful given Seonghwa’s half-undressed state. 

Fae poison was by no means deadly, but it certainly could be a pain to deal with. This is the third time he’s seen Seonghwa succumb to its effects, and he can say with confidence that the human did  _ not _ enjoy the effects in the least bit. “Can I do anything for you?” he asks, pulling on his fingers anxiously. His post-orgasm high is completely replaced by guilt. 

Seonghwa’s chest heaves. He slings an arm over his eyes and squirms around on the bed. He knows the effects of fae poison. In particular, he knows the effects of Hongjoong’s brand of poison. It’s not unlike being high if Seonghwa were to liken it to anything else. His head feels light and his body is unimaginably relaxed as a warm tingle travels up and down his limbs, keeping them in a relaxed state. He feels an odd combination of euphoric and calm. All in all it’s the complete opposite of his usual tense and cautious behavior he’s cultivated as a hunter. 

This time feels a little bit different than usual though. Hongjoong has bitten him plenty of times already. Seonghwa is used to the feeling of what feels like a loss of control over his body and mind, but he’s never particularly felt  _ aroused _ by it. 

He’d already been sporting a half-hard erection from watching the fae writhe and come undone beneath him. His cock had swollen when Hongjoong cummed from humping him, but now all that feels even more intense than before. He’s hard and his cock strains against his tight jeans as he squirms around, trying to resist the urge to reach down and jack himself off. 

“What did you do this time?” he gasps out. 

Hongjoong stares down at the human’s half-covered face, completely oblivious to the erection Seonghwa is dealing with. “What do you mean?” he asks. The human’s reaction to his bite always makes his concern grow. Something is different, the fae notes. “What’s wrong?” 

Seonghwa grits his teeth as he bucks his hips into nothing. “I’m fucking so horny,” he complains breathlessly. 

Hongjoong blinks at his response as his mind momentarily blanks out. “What?” he asks intelligently. 

Pleasurable little sparks seem to ignite all over his body, pooling at his crotch as a breathless groan finally escapes from his throat. Hongjoong freezes at the sound before he trails his eyes down Seonghwa’s naked chest and to his crotch where he can see the obvious bulge straining against his jeans. “It’s never been like this before,” Seonghwa pants out as he finally gives in and reaches down to stuff his hands into his pants.

Hongjoong gulps when he watches the human push his pants down and pulls his cock out. The fae practically salivates at the sight. Seonghwa’s cock his big and pretty, and his cock twitches with interest. “It—” the fae clears his throat as he struggles to formulate a response to Seonghwa’s question. “Fae poison causes a person to relax, but it’s been known to increase whatever state the victim is in…” he trails off when it strikes him that Seonghwa  _ had _ been affected by this. It wasn’t just Hongjoong. 

Seonghwa’s eyes flutter as he teases the head of his cock. In the back of his mind he can hear the cursed vampire’s words.  _ A fae’s bite is quite pleasurable for humans, I hear. _ But it’s quickly lost to him when Hongjoong wraps a hand around the shaft. “Fuck,” he curses as the fae runs his thumb along the vein on the underside his cock. 

Hongjoong shifts himself over to sit between the human’s legs, helping to peel Seonghwa’s tight jeans from his legs before he squeezes the base of his cock again. Hongjoong lowers himself down onto his stomach, shifting backwards until the human’s cock is right in front of his face. He moves his hand up Seonghwa’s shaft, twisting his wrist for good measure and pulling moan out of the human before he grabs hold of Seonghwa’s hand and pulls it away. 

“Let me do it,” he whispers, swiping at the precum to beads at the tip. 

Seonghwa’s hips stutter and his stomach contracts as he sucks in a deep breath. Hongjoong thinks he looks hot as hell like that. Hongjoong dips his head down, high off the heady, masculine scent radiating from the human, and runs his tongue along the shaft up to the tip. He laves his tongue over the head of Seonghwa’s cock, swirls it around and lapping up more of his precum before he finally takes the head between his lips and sucks on it. 

Seonghwa sucks in a breath, holding back his little noises of pleasure when Hongjoong takes him into his warm, wet mouth. He fists his fingers into Hongjoong’s red hair, pulling hard enough to draw an erotic cry from the fae. The noises he pulls from the fae causes pleasurable vibrations around the head of his cock. That finally tears a low groan from the human as he pulls Hongjoong down on his cock, squeezing his thighs around the fae’s head. 

Hongjoong chokes. His throat spasms against Seonghwa’s cock and drool leaks ou tfrom between his lips, pooling on the human’s balls. He has to dig sharpened nails into the soft skin of Seonghwa’s side for the human to finally relent on his hold. Hongjoong pulls away with a gasp, eyes half lidded as he stares at Seonghwa’s erection. His boyfriend’s blushing red cock. 

The fae’s thought process comes to a screeching halt when he realizes the implication behind those thoughts. Boyfriend. It’s a term the fae had stubbornly refused to associate with Seonghwa while the human appeared to think that’s what they were this whole time. But Hongjoong’s reluctance hadn’t been borne of dislike or disinterest but rather purely on fear. He’s still scared to be honest. Mortified of the thought that his old Queen might come back and snatch him from underneath Hongjoong’s nose. 

Seonghwa guides his head back down, trying to urge Hongjoong to take his cock back into his mouth although he only presses Hongjoong’s face into his crotch. As quickly as those intrusive thoughts come to him, they fade as Hongjoong returns to mouthing along the shaft.

He’d failed the first time with his first lover. Hongjoong would be damned if someone would steal Seonghwa from him too. Not after he just reached this point with the human. 

He moves up to suckle the tip back into his mouth, humming when Seonghwa combs his fingers through his hair, gathering the red locks into a little ponytail at the back of his head. Hongjoong reaches back to grab the human’s hand as he tongues at his slit and savoring the salty taste on his tongue. He uses his hand on Seonghwa’s to gently tug his head to one side and then the other. It’s quiet permission which the human immediately takes advantage of. 

Hongjoong is a little more prepared this time when Seonghwa tugs his head down, choking when the human thrusts his hips up to meet him halfway. It’s worth it for the broken moan Seonghwa emits as he tugs the fae in closer like he can somehow stuff his cock further down the redhead’s throat if he tries hard enough. 

His nose nuzzled into the human’s pelvis, Hongjoong gargles around the cock in his mouth and forces himself to relax. Seonghwa’s hips drop back to the bed, and Hongjoong takes the opportunity to take in deep breaths through his nose as he works his mouth and tongue over the length of cock still in his mouth. 

Seonghwa shudders, quiet and lax against the bed, leaving the fae to finish this on his own apparently. It’s a task Hongjoong is more than willing to help complete. He bobs his head, tongue pressed to the underside of his dick. Every once in awhile he forces his head down, down, swallowing Seonghwa’s cock as he does his best to service the human. 

Throughout it all Seonghwa is oddly quiet despite the way his chest expands and contracts as he takes in deep, panting breaths. It’s about the only sound he makes though. Hongjoong furrows his eyebrows together as he chokes himself on Seonghwa’s cock that the wet sound echoes throughout the bedroom, and he wonders if he’s not doing enough.

Seonghwa’s fingers tighten in his hair, gently yanking his head back and forth, keeping the fae right there as he cums unexpectedly and without warning. Hongjoong whines when the bitter taste of cum hits his tongue, his hands coming up to pinch the human where his thighs meet his hip, but Seonghwa doesn’t relent. He doesn’t even appear to acknowledge the touch as a groan rumbles its way from his chest. 

Hongjoong swallows, not left with much of a choice. It’s hot, his cum coating his tongue and the back of his throat as Hongjoong swallows it all, but even when he’s done it’s like Seonghwa’s orgasm isn’t over. His thighs are still trembling, and he’s still holding Hongjoong’s head down. The fae notes with faint concern how his cock doesn’t soften at all either. 

Finally, Seonghwa’s fingers relax enough that he pulls Hongjoong off of him, breaths coming in labored and his pupils blown wide with lust. Hongjoong’s gaze, however, remains fixed on his hard cock, shiny and slick with his spit. He just came but he’s still hard. Is it a side effect of the poison? 

“You’re still hard,” Hongjoong notes as he reaches out to pump his shaft. 

“I know,” Seonghwa says gruffly. It’s the first time he’s spoken in awhile, and Hongjoong can’t help but shiver at just how wrecked he sounds. With great effort, he sits up and reaches out for Hongjoong who naively falls into his arms. Seonghwa isn’t there to comfort him though. He twists them around to pin the fae to the bed again and quickly throws a leg over his body to straddle him. 

Hongjoong grunts at the rough treatment, lips parted to pant as Seonghwa pins his arms above his head and crawls his way further up the redhead’s chest. He fits his knees in Hongjoong’s armpits and stares at the fae with a dark, smouldering gaze. 

“What?” Hongjoong pants, glancing down to eye the cock in his face. 

“I’m not done,” Seonghwa says. He pushes his hips forward to rest the head of his cock against Hongjoong’s plush, lower lip. The fae obediently opens up, moaning when the human feeds his cock to him. “I’m going to fuck you like this,” the human promises him when he’s got his dick halfway down Hongjoong’s throat. 

The fae’s cock twitches at the threat, and he makes a mental note to himself that fae poison and sex are not a bad combination. 

  
  
  
  


Hongjoong wakes up with a sore throat and swollen lips, cum dried against his stomach, but at least Seonghwa is sound asleep next to him. He runs his hands through his sleep mussed hair and tries to assess the damage done to his throat. Seonghwa shifts beside him and, as if he knows that Hongjoong is awake, he blinks his eyes open. 

“Morning,” Hongjoong greets him in a gruff voice, a bit embarrassed by the state of it. “How are you?” 

Seonghwa stares at him for a moment, seemingly befuddled by the odd tone of the fae’s voice. Then he thinks about the question. He feels relaxed and refreshed like he just woke up from a nice, long hibernation. “I feel great,” he answers. 

Hongjoong grumbles his dissatisfaction beneath his breath, unable to really blame Seonghwa when he’d fucked up and bit the human yesterday. At least one of them woke up refreshed and happy. 

Seonghwa pushes himself up into a sitting position before pausing as he takes stock of his very naked form. Hongjoong defiantly cuddles back into the blanket, absolutely refusing to get up yet. He doesn’t want to. “Do you remember last night?” he asks, tone light. 

“Mostly,” Seonghwa answers slowly before a yawn interrupts him. “You were being a stubborn asshole as usual.” 

The fae’s expression twists up in annoyance. Their fight hadn’t been what he was asking about, and he’s kind of annoyed that that’s the first thing that came to the human’s mind. What about that part where they clarified exactly what their relationship was? What about that steamy make out session and the mind blowing sex? Hongjoong can’t think of the last time he cummed so many times and so hard. He opens his mouth to tell the human to fuck right off, but Seonghwa beats him to it. 

“It’s all kind of a blur after that second orgasm,” he says, running his fingers through his messy bed-head. 

Hongjoong blushes, but his smile betrays how satisfied he is with the human’s response. “I’m sorry,” he finally apologizes again when Seonghwa stumbles on his way out of bed. 

The human turns to him and squints before he tries to rub away the sleep from his eyes. “What for?” he asks, looking around the floor at his clothes strewn about. He bends down to snatch his jeans from the floor. “For biting me last night?” 

“Well, that,” Hongjoong admits as he stares down at his lap. “I was more talking about the fight and everything. I’m sorry about not telling you what I knew, but I really thought I had your best interest in mind.”

“It’s fine,” Seonghwa assures him as he carries his jeans over to his dresser. He pauses to look over his shoulder at Hongjoong. “Just as long as you promise you’ve told me everything now.” 

The fae nods his head and admires the muscled expanse of Seonghwa’s back. “I have,” he says when he realizes he’s probably been staring for too long. “That fae who came to see me last week, he was the one who tipped me off about how you were a target of the court. I didn’t say anything because I thought...I thought I could take care of it on my own.” 

Seonghwa pulls out a pair of fresh, clean underwear and pants, shimmying into them. “I won’t say that I don’t understand where you’re coming from,” he tells the fae, “because I do get it to an extent. But not telling me put me in danger too. I’ve been going around trying to collect information on their next move, and I had no idea that I was a target of theirs.” 

“I know,” Hongjoong acknowledges, bunching up the blankets into his hands before he pushes them off himself. He swings his legs over and pushes himself off of the bed. “I was naive in that sense, and I apologize for that. But I swear I’ve told you the truth with everything else. I was contacted by an Unseelie agent at one point, but I refused to help.”

Seonghwa pulls a shirt over his head before he finally turns to face Hongjoong again. “But she believes that you did conspire against her,” Seonghwa clarifies, “and that’s why she killed your human lover. To punish you.” 

“I can’t say if she really believes it or not,” Hongjoong corrects. “To be honest, she never liked me all that much. At the peak of my time in her court I probably held enough power to make her nervous. I would never have made a candidate to replace her, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t an existential threat to her power either. It’s entirely possible that saying I was an agent of the Unseelie was just the excuse she needed to oust me whether she actually believed it or not. Killing Yunho and trying to take you from me are probably just a ploy to remind me of all that.” 

“Then the reason she chose to come after you now is because…” Seonghwa trails off, carefully thinking about her motive. 

“It’s because of you,” Hongjoong answers for him. “Because they found out I was with a human with a remarkable likeness to my past lover.” He swallows thickly when sees the unreadable expression on Seonghwa’s face. “They took him from me to both hurt me and teach me a lesson before I would have been ultimately stripped of my court rank. I took that from her when I killed him myself.” 

“So she wants to try again with me?” Seonghwa finishes for him. Ashamed, Hongjoong turns his head away but nods because, yes, that was the issue as far as he could tell. “She’s caused a lot of havoc trying to accomplish that goal,” he notes. 

“She wouldn’t make a move unless she thought it was in her best interest,” Hongjoong agrees. “She won’t be easy to get to either way.” Turning Jisung over would have been the easy way to end this case, but it wouldn’t have stopped or even halted her plans. This is as much about their own safety now as it is about completing a job. 

“Can you call Yunho for me?” Seonghwa requests. 

  
  
  
  
  


“So, here’s the problem, us taking down a fae Queen is pretty unrealistic. If we want to go head to head with them we’d definitely need more numbers.” 

San can honestly and whole-heartedly say that Seonghwa’s words go in one ear and out the other. It’s not like he’s particularly necessary for this conversation—Seonghwa had asked for Yunho’s presence, and San had simply tagged along with his boyfriend—but he’s quite honestly distracted by the way Hongjoong is holding Seonghwa by the waist. The fact that Seonghwa has placed a hand on top of Hongjoong’s and is gently stroking his knuckles only adds to San’s curiosity. 

He glances up at Yunho who, admittedly, is doing a much better job at paying attention to Seonghwa as he nods along to Seonghwa’s words, but San can see the way their hands have also caught the werewolf’s attention. He glances down at San when he feels the human’s gaze on him. San cocks an eyebrow at him, a silent question. 

_ Are you seeing what I’m seeing? _

Yunho glances back to their friends, his gaze transfixed on their linked hands. 

“What do you think about telling Mingi’s pack who is really responsible for the death of one of their own?”

Yunho blinks, forcing his gaze upward to meet Seonghwa’s eyes. The human raises his eyebrows at him although he doesn’t comment on the trajectory of the werewolf’s gaze. “Um,” he stammers out, quickly processing the human’s question. “I don’t know. It probably depends on the pack, but I doubt a pack would really be interested in declaring war with a fae court up north.” He runs his fingers along Seonghwa’s desk. “They’d probably want that werewolf we caught before to pay for the crime.” 

Seonghwa crosses his arms and frowns at Yunho’s words although he seems to take the werewolf’s opinion seriously. 

San continues to openly ogle their small displays of affection, however. Something definitely happened, he thinks to himself. Hongjoong and Seonghwa have always had a bit of an ambiguous relationship as far as San was concerned. He understood their initial partnership, forged from the necessity they each had to hunt down their respective friends. Afterwards, however, San was honestly a little surprised by their continued partnership. 

They worked well together, of course, but San had always viewed them as angry co-workers at worst or vitriolic friends at best. Affectionate friends. Well, that was a thought that never crossed his mind before. Not until today at least. 

He lifts his eyes up when Seonghwa asks Yunho another question only to shrink back when he meets Hongjoong’s gaze. The fae narrows his eyes at him, tongue pressed to the inside of his cheek like he’s daring San to make a comment. San presses his lips into a thin line and turns his head away from the fae and it’s answer enough. 

“The question is how do we take down a fae Queen,” Seonghwa says, drawing San’s attention back to him. “She’ll remain an existential threat to the both of us so long as she’s in charge. She wants both of us dead.” San sucks in a sharp breath and leans into Yunho’s side, wrapping his arms around the werewolf and seeking comfort in his warmth. 

Yunho shakes his head and shrugs his shoulder in response. “I mean, don’t quote me on this. I haven’t been part of a pack in a long time, but I can’t imagine a pack wanting to stir up conflict with a fae court. Especially one like this. They’re clearly pretty isolationist. Declaring all out war against a court wouldn’t be in their best interest either, and I’m not sure werewolves would even be the greatest ally against fairies.” He rubs at his arm, kneading his fingers into his elbow. He peers up at the hunter nervously and asks, “Are we really in danger?” 

Seonghwa licks his lips and tries to ignore the way Hongjoong digs his nails into his hips. “Sorry,” the fae apologizes before Seonghwa can assure the werewolf that they’ll be fine. “It’s my fault.” 

“Hongjoong…” the werewolf croons his name gently. 

“We’re fine,” Seonghwa cuts in for them, sending San a pointed look. “We know what they’re after now, and you have San with you. You’ll look out for each other I assume.” 

“Of course,” San murmurs as he nuzzles into the werewolf’s side. 

“We still have to get rid of her though,” Hongjoong adds as he finally pulls his arm away from Seonghwa. He turns himself around to hop up onto the human’s desk and crosses his arms as he thinks. 

“Do we have to fight an entire court just to get rid of one Queen though?” San asks, eyes darting around to everyone gathered in the room. 

“She’s their Queen,” Seonghwa points out. “I can’t imagine they’d just let us dispatch her without a fight.” 

“It’s possible,” Hongjoong pipes up, drawing everyone’s attention to him. He meets Seonghwa’s questioning gaze, and his heart rate picks up. He’s terrified. So, so terrified to lose this man. He won’t let it happen. Not again. He bites down on his bottom lip almost hard enough to draw blood and clenches his fists in anger. This time he would show her just who she was trying to mess with. Hongjoong hadn’t been her second for no reason. 

“It’s tricky though. And risky,” he adds. 

“How?” Seonghwa asks him. 

Hongjoong looks over at San and Yunho before meeting Seonghwa’s eyes again. He can tell the human probably won’t like what he says just based on the way his shoulders hold tight and his jaw is clenched. The corner of his mouth tugs up into a smile at the thought because of course Seonghwa wouldn’t like it. He knows far too much about fairies. 

“We play her game,” he announces. “We play court politics.” 

San immediately pulls a face at the prospect before he glances up at Yunho who seems equally as troubled by the idea. Seonghwa runs his thumb along his jawline as he thinks about Hongjoong’s idea. He thinks he understands what the fae means, but it’s also vague. Too vague. “Elaborate,” he commands. 

“If we can convince her court that her actions have put them in danger, they’ll oust her on their own,” Hongjoong explains. “Fae Queens are not irreplaceable. If the court perceives her as a threat than she will no longer be allowed to sit on her throne.” 

“How would we do that though?” San asks. “Like what would make them think that she’s a danger to them?” 

“The Seelie are under constant threat from the Unseelie,” Hongjoong says quietly as he holds Seonghwa’s gaze. “There’s a reason the fair folk often stay out of as many scuffles as they can. We try to keep out of the eye of hunters and anyone else if we can. They are not ready or prepared for any kind of open war.” 

San and Yunho nod their heads in understanding before the werewolf furrows his eyebrows together and remarks, “But they’re not under threat of war. We could always ask Mingi’s Alpha what he intends to do but—” 

“A manufactured threat can be as good as a real one,” Hongjoong interrupts his friend, eyes gleaming as the gears in his mind turn. Seonghwa shifts his weight around. He can practically see the thoughts and ideas flying through the fae’s mind as he plots, and, for once, he actually feels scared of him. “If they think that they’re under threat they’ll capitulate.” 

“But how?” Seonghwa presses. 

Hongjoong looks up at him and the corner of his lips pull up into a smile. “I have an idea,” he says simply before his smile drops into a more sober expression. “I will likely need to confront her in her court though.” 

Seonghwa narrows his eyes at the fae, still a little suspicious by Hongjoong’s reticence, but he says, “Very well. We’ll go together.” 

“No,” Hongjoong shoots down his suggestion immediately. “I won’t have you come with. You’re her target! I’d be stupid to dangle such a fruit right in front of her.” 

“You’re her real target,” Seonghwa argues. “Am I supposed to be okay with just letting you walk in there on your own?” 

“I don’t expect you to be okay with it,” Hongjoong concedes easily enough. “But I do expect you to be smart about this. I know she’s plotting against me, but she’s not going to try and put me under her influence.” He stares at the human pointedly. “Nor is she likely to kill me either.” his gaze moves over to Yunho who ducks his head down. 

“That doesn’t mean she won’t either,” Seonghwa retorts. He moves forward to place his hands flat on top of the desk on either side of Hongjoong’s body, caging the fae in. “There’s absolutely nothing stopping her from killing you other than court ethics. I don’t  _ trust _ her.” 

San watches the exchange go back and forth with wide eyes as his stare bounces between Seonghwa and Hongjoong. It suddenly feels awkward being here like he’s a child caught in the middle of one of his parents’ arguments, only their grievances seem to be purely out of concern for each other while San’s parents always clashed in a toxic manner over ideology. 

If he were to pick a side, he would pick Hongjoong’s, worried and protective as he is over his old partner, but he understands Seonghwa’s reservations as well. The idea of sending Hongjoong into a fae court by himself to deal with someone who clearly wishes him harm just doesn’t sit well with San either. So, without much foresight, he blurts out, “I’ll go with you.” 

Everyone goes silent following his statement. San presses his lips together, half wondering if anyone even heard him. Hongjoong is the first to react, twisting his body around to stare at San incredulously. The complaints follow immediately after that. 

“No,” Yunho protests, wrapping his arms around the human and hugging him closer as if to physically trap him there. 

“Are you insane?” Seonghwa adds. “You can’t go!” 

San blinks at his partner and tilts his head to the side. “And why not?” he scoffs. “I agree. I don’t like the thought of Hongjoong going in on his own, but I also don’t think either of you should go. She tried to get Yunho killed!” 

“No,” Seonghwa denies firmly. “It’s dangerous.” 

“I’m a trained hunter!” 

“You  _ gave up _ on hunting!” 

“Seonghwa, I’m not a child!” 

Hongjoong holds a hand up to Seonghwa when the human opens his mouth to argue some more. “Let’s not fight about this now,” he suggests. “I was never really planning on going on my own. There’s still some work to be done before I even go in.” 

“Like what?” Seonghwa asks. 

“Like gathering allies. Fake or otherwise.” He looks over to Yunho and San. “I’ll need your help.” 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry! I'm sorry I forgot to upload this when I was supposed to and sorry I haven't been responding to some of your nice comments! ;n; I've been really swamped with the end of the year and I have a lot of shit to get done and idk what I'm doing lmao

_ See if Mingi’s pack will send someone as an envoy for us. Maybe Mingi can do it. It doesn’t have to be official. We just need someone to stand in as an envoy. _

Sighing, Yunho rubs his hands together as he eyes the little cabins that make up Mingi’s pack lands. He’s not exactly happy to be back here considering his last experience with them, but Hongjoong had asked for his help. Yunho isn’t going to say no to the fae. He’s practically Yunho’s Alpha at this point. 

He doesn't make it far in before someone comes to stop him. Yunho can at least breathe a sigh of relief when he recognizes Mingi. The other werewolf holds his hands out to stop Yunho, eyeing him up and down with a curious gaze. Clearly, he’s just as shocked to see Yunho back here. “What are you doing here?” he asks, glancing back towards the cabins nervously. “I know we were wrong about you, but I think it’s best for our Head Alpha not to see you. He’s still looking for blood.” 

Yunho nods his head once in acknowledgement and allows Mingi to lead him somewhere away from the cabins. More private. 

“What is it?” Mingi asks him when they’re away from the prying eyes of his pack. 

Yunho crosses his arms over his chest and stares at the other man. “I have a favor to ask you,” Yunho says. “Your pack nearly killed me for something I didn’t do, so I think you owe me.” 

Mingi swallows back the lump in his throat and asks, “What is it?” 

“A fae is behind the killing of your packmate,” Yunho tells him. “She ordered a werewolf under her influence to do it, but she is the mastermind behind all this.” 

Mingi blinks, evidently caught off guard by Yunho’s claims. “A fae killed one of us?” he echoes dubiously. “Why?” 

“She has her own motives,” Yunho explains vaguely with a shake of his head. “I’m sorry for your loss, but I’m telling you the truth.” 

“Oh.” Mingi appears troubled by his words, biting down on his bottom lip as he thinks about what Yunho is telling him. “Should I pass on the information to my Head Alpha? Will you bring us this fae soon?” 

Yunho frowns and shakes his head again. “I’m afraid it’s more complicated than that,” he murmurs. “She’s the Queen of a northern fae court. We’d be hard pressed to just go and arrest her to bring back here.” 

Mingi sputters at his accusation, reeling backwards in shock. “A Queen?” he repeats. “Why would a Queen do such a thing? What are we supposed to do if a Queen is responsible?” 

“It’s worse than just that though,” Yunho tells him, pressing on his advantage. “She didn’t quite get what she wanted out of killing your packmate. She will probably cause more trouble for you in the future if she’s not taken care of.” Mingi gulps at the warning. “I need help to stop her.” 

“What do you need?” Mingi asks. 

“Act as a diplomat for your pack,” Yunho requests. “Threaten war. If she thinks she may be on the brink of war, she’ll step down.” 

“A diplomat?” Mingi stammers, horrified by the notion. He has no idea what any of that would mean. He’s just a member of his pack. No one important. He’s probably not really qualified to go around claiming to speak on his pack’s behalf. 

“We don’t need a real one,” Yunho clarifies. “We’re not actually trying to start any conflict with your pack. We just want to stop her from causing any more trouble. And frankly, I think it’s the least you can do after what happened with your pack.” 

Mingi flinches at the reminder, shoulders sinking down in shame. He really hadn’t expected his pack to take Yunho hostage like that. He figured that if they heard San’s testimony it would be enough, but his pack wanted revenge. And that was definitely a problem. “I mean, I can do that for you,” he volunteers, “but my pack will actually want something out of this. One of ours is dead. Someone has to pay for that.” 

Yunho squares his shoulders and claims confidently, “We can arrange that.” 

_ I know she won’t be easy, but if you can convince Yongsun to be on our side I think we’ll have much more leverage to threaten the Queen. I hate to say it but she would be a vital ally. If you can’t convince her...it’s okay, but it would be perfect to have her on our side. _

As per Hongjoong’s request, San recruits Yongsun to help with his plan. But despite his words, San had gotten the distinct feeling that things would not be okay if Yongsun didn’t agree to their plan, so the next time she shows up at the bar, San is on her case. 

“And why would I want to get involved in fae politics?” she asks when San finishes explaining their situation and Hongjoong’s plan, appealing to her for help. “She’s not caused me any problems. She’s bothering your friends. I’m sorry about that but it’s hardly my problem.” 

“If she hasn’t caused you direct problems yet, she probably will soon,” San warns her. 

She raises an eyebrow at the certainty in his voice, bloody mary halfway to her lips. “Oh?” Her interest piqued, she sets her glass aside to give San her full attention. “How do you figure that?” 

“You protect this city—”

“I protect my people,” she corrects. “Protecting the city is just a convenient side effect.” 

San presses his lips together into a thin, angry line as he pauses to rethink his strategy. “Alright. I guess that’s true. Keeping your clan safe means keeping hunters off your back, right? Which benefits everyone else.” 

Threading her fingers together, Yongsun rests her elbows on the bar counter and leans her chin into the back of her hands. “Between inter-clan wars and hunters I already have my hands full,” she comments. “The presence of her court is concerning, but so long as she doesn’t mess with me I have no reason to place my weight behind you or your fae friend no matter how much I like you.” She smiles at the human when his expression turns pouty. “Don’t take it to heart. I just need to do what’s best for my clan.” 

“She conspired to kill my mate by assassinating a member of the local pack here,” San argues. “And she failed on top of that. Things like that will hardly escape the hunters’ notice.” 

“I find it difficult to believe they care that much about an apparent scuffle between werewolves. How would they even know a fairy court had any role to play?” 

“Hunters are always looking to expand their control,” San warns her quietly. “Chaos erupting like this would be the perfect opportunity for them to move in.” 

Humming, the vampire takes a sip of her drink and thinks over his words. “In that case,” she says with a smack of her lips, “would I not be better off throwing my support behind her and making sure her business is wrapped up neatly? You are four people. She has an entire court.” 

“Would you trust her?” San challenges. “She moved into the city without a word. Her agents continue to pour in and become more numerous with each passing day. She draws more attention to herself with each passing day. More than that her court hails from the north.” 

Yongsun contemplates his words carefully before she remarks, “Hunter territory.” 

“They might not be here yet, but they’ll notice the change in her court’s movements.” San places another drink down in front of her on the house. A bribe. Wooyoung would yell at him if he knew, but the human needs to play his cards right if he’s going to win. “I’m sure you’ve thought of that already though.” 

“I think of everything,” she assures him as she quietly accepts the drink. “I’m old enough to think long-term, but I’m also wise enough not to make any unnecessary moves. Every choice has a consequence, and I have to make sure to minimize mine.” She traces the rim of the glass with one ring-decorated finger. “Taking your side would certainly silence her and the trouble she caused quietly, but I could very well end up in a position where I have declared war on a fae court.” 

“It won’t get to that point,” San assures her. 

“And how can you guarantee that?” she challenges him. “You have that much faith in your fae friend? He hasn’t been in a court for decades. For all I know he might have lost his touch.” 

“Because we can’t afford for it to get to that point,” San answers fiercely. “War wouldn’t benefit us, or the werewolves, or you.” 

“This is a risky game you’re playing in that case.” 

“And I’m asking if you want to place a bet with us.” 

The vampire smiles at him, lips pulled up into a large grin. Gambling was an old weakness of hers.

  
  
  
  


  
“So, what exactly is your plan?” Seonghwa pesters the fae, following Hongjoong around as the redhead digs through his draws, pulling out all the clothes in each drawer systematically. He watches Hongjoong make a mess on the floor for a few seconds longer before he grabs the fae and forcefully turns him around. “What are you looking for?” he demands.

“Clothes,” Hongjoong says simply as he shrugs Seonghwa’s hands from his shoulders. 

“What clothes? For what?” Seonghwa presses him. “We promised no more secrets, didn’t we? Why aren’t you telling me anything!” 

“I’m not keeping anything from you!” Hongjoong denies as he continues to empty his drawers out. “I’m just still thinking through it, okay?” 

Seonghwa presses his lips together in a thin angry line. “Then think out loud,” he demands. “What the hell are you looking for?” 

“Court clothes!” Hongjoong yells out in frustration because Seonghwa just won’t _shut up_. And where the hell were those court clothes anyway. He’d always kept them for sentimental value and because he always thought they might come in useful someday. “I’m going to court to threaten a _Queen_. I’m not going there dressed in human street clothes.” 

“Is that your plan?” Seonghwa asks skeptically. “You’re just going to show up at her court and threaten her to leave us alone?” 

“More or less,” Hongjoong murmurs. He sighs when he finishes emptying that drawer, quickly moving on to the next one. He pauses to look over to Seonghwa to tell him, “Less reckless than that though. I have a plan. I hope.” 

“And exactly what is it?” Seonghwa asks. 

Hongjoong rests his arm on the drawer he just opened and turns to face Seonghwa fully. “Fairy courts are all about politics. Not unlike the hunter clan you come from, many of our clans are run by their own internal politics. Werewolves, vampires, fairies. And like all political systems, if you nudge at their weak points they’ll break. The Seelie courts have always been threatened by the Unseelie King. She will want to avoid conflict at all costs because she  _ knows _ that would leave her and her people vulnerable to him, and her court is well aware of that. If I can manufacture the idea that she is under threat, they will turn on her. She will no longer be a threat.” 

“And exactly how are you going to convince her she’s under threat of war?” Seonghwa asks. “You are one courtless fae. Yunho is a packless werewolf. And neither San nor I belong to a hunting clan anymore. We’re not exactly threats to her.” 

“But a werewolf pack would be,” Hongjoong says. “So would a vampire clan.” 

Seonghwa narrows his eyes at him. He does not like where this is going at all. “You cannot depend on them,” he warns. 

“I don’t have a choice,” Hongjoong snaps back. Seonghwa reels back a little at the harshness in his voice, staring at the fae with concern. 

“Hongjoong—” 

“Don’t,” the fae warns him before he can even begin. “I have no choice because I’ve put you in danger. Because I couldn’t stay away from you.” He turns back to his drawer and begins pulling out his clothes again, this time in a much less hurried pace. “I always knew,” he tells the human. “Even when we first met, and you probably thought you had the one up on me. In the back of my mind I knew you were a hunter. There were warning signs there, but I ignored them because...because you looked so familiar to me.” 

He yanks out t-shirts and sweaters, letting them pool into one haphazard pile at his feet while Seonghwa quietly watches him. “At the time, I thought you were him—my lover I’d lost so long ago. I thought he was alive. I wanted to believe it so badly, but you were a hunter. And that was enough to sober me to the reality. He was dead, and you weren’t him.” Hongjoong pauses when his eyes catch sight of something, and he pulls out a sheer, silky white shirt that Seonghwa has never seen before. “But then we became partners more or less, and...I came to like you anyways.” 

With the silk tunic clutched in his hand, Hongjoong turns around to face Seonghwa and finally sinks down into the mess of clothes he’s strewn across the floor. “It hurts to think about, but you were right,” Hongjoong tells him as he lifts his eyes up to meet Seonghwa’s gaze. “I got him killed when I tried to make him a part of my life without telling him everything. And I don’t want to let that happen again. So please,” he begs the human, “just let me do what I need to. I can handle the court on my own.” 

Seonghwa scoots closer to him, gently pulling the silk tunic from the fae’s hand. “I don’t think that you can’t,” he tells Hongjoong. “I’m not upset because I don’t think you can do it. I’m just worried about it. I’m worried about _you_.” 

Hongjoong laughs at his words and ducks his head down to hide from the human. “I guess we can agree on that at least, huh?” 

The corner of Seonghwa’s lips pull up into a brief smile before his expression drops again. “I trust you,” he tells the fae. “I will trust you on this if you want me to, but I want you to be safe too.” 

“I’ll be safe,” Hongjoong promises him. “And I’ll make sure everyone else will be too. You, Yunho, San. I won’t let her hurt you guys.” 

Seonghwa nods his head once. It’s an acknowledgement and a concession. He doesn’t like it, but he’ll let Hongjoong have his way, and he’ll trust the fae to do this. Looking down at the silk shirt in his hands, he carefully unfolds it before holding it up to the fae’s frame like he’s testing the fit. 

Hongjoong tilts his head to the side at his behavior and asks, “What?” 

“Nothing,” Seonghwa dismisses as he sets the tunic down on Hongjoong’s lap. “I’d like to see you in that, I think. That’s all.” 

Hongjoong stares at him for a moment, lips parted in surprise. Then he moves forward quickly, much more quickly than Seonghwa anticipates, and the human grunts as he falls back onto his heels as the fae scrambles into his lap. He tries to call for the fae’s name but can’t because Hongjoong covers his lips with his own, cutting the human off before he can even say anything. 

Seonghwa doesn’t mind though. He adjusts to the situation fluidly, wrapping his arms around the fae’s waist and pulling him closer as he tilts his chin up to deepen the kiss. Hongjoong pulls away with a breathless little gasp to say, “I’m going to fix this. I’m going to ruin her so that she’ll never dare touch me or mine ever again.” 

Seonghwa just pulls him down into another kiss to hide his smile. 

  
  
  
  
  


“Here.” 

San turns around to face Yunho who offers him a small little vial filled with salt crystals. The human holds a hand out for it and blinks when Yunho places it in his hand. “What’s this?” he asks curiously. 

“Salt,” Yongsun notes as she walks up to them and plucks the little vial from the human’s hand. Yunho growls at her action and reaches out to snatch it back only for the vampire to hold it up higher. “You’ll never get through into the court with an iron weapon, but they likely won’t be able to find this if you keep it hidden. It will protect you from any potential magic they might try to cast on you.” She places it back in San’s hand before reaching up to ruffle the werewolf’s hair. 

Yunho's face twists up in annoyance, but she only laughs at him. “Oh, no need to get so jealous. I’m only here to help you guys.” 

“I don’t like this,” the werewolf says as he looks to San with wide, pathetic eyes. 

“We’ll be fine,” the human assures him as he pockets the vial of salt. 

Mingi walks up to Yunho, prodding at the other werewolf’s arm. “Do you have another one of those?” he requests with a hint of panic in his voice. 

“No,” Yunho tells him, pulling his arm away from Mingi. 

“Are you scared little puppy?” Yongsun coos at him. 

“Werewolves and magic don’t mix very well,” Mingi comments. 

“Then why are you here?” 

Mingi startles at her question before his gaze moves over first to Yunho and then to San. “I caused them trouble,” he says in a small voice. “I owe them for that. What about you?” 

Yongsun smiles and looks over his shoulder to where Seonghwa has pulled Hongjoong to the side, speaking to him in hushed voices. Then she looks over to San and her gaze softens the slightest bit. “What can I say? I get leverage out of this. Besides,” she reaches out to pat San on the cheek only for Yunho to catch her by the wrist. She smiles at the werewolf’s behavior. “Humans have quite a way with words,” she finally finishes as she gently pulls her hand from Yunho’s grip. 

Mingi frowns, not sure he totally follows her explanation but also not wanting to think too much about it either. He knows of her vaguely, and he’s honestly a bit terrified of her although he wonders how San and Seonghwa apparently convinced her to come out here with them. 

“Are you the werewolves’ envoy then?” she asks, eyeing Mingi up and down curiously. He’s not much of a diplomatic looking fella in her opinion, but she’s never had high expectations when it came to werewolves. They were typically ingrained in their old ways. Forming alliances and using diplomacy were not part of their forte. 

“Yeah,” Mingi says proudly as he puffs his chest out and squares his shoulders. The vampire hides a laugh behind her hand. “I mean, uoffically that is. My Alpha doesn't know that I’m here.” 

“He doesn’t know that you might potentially declare war in his name?” she asks him. 

Mingi hesitates, suddenly worried as he scratches the back of his head and looks to San for help. “Uh, I mean. No? No. I thought we weren’t going to do any of that or something…” 

“It’s a ruse,” San assures the werewolf before looking at Yongsun. “A game. As I recall, you aren’t so eager to go to war either.” 

“But I also have the authority to do it,” she replies with a smile. “Fret not. I will play this game with you.” She crooks a finger at Mingi, beckoning the werewolf closer to her. “Come here, little puppy. Let us discuss exactly how to play this game. I will turn you into the most excellent liar in these few minutes before we depart.” 

Yunho takes a step back when Mingi crosses in front of him, heeding the vampire’s orders. The packless wolf watches him go with a little shake of his head before turning his attention back to San again. He steps up to the human who tilts his head up to meet his gaze. The apprehension must be clear in his expression because San smiles at him and reaches out to hold Yunho’s hand. 

“We’ll be okay,” he assures the werewolf. Yunho tightens his grip on San’s hand, running his thumb along the back of the human’s knuckles. San bites down on his bottom lip and stares at the way the werewolf’s hand practically engulfs his. 

“I know that you’re a trained hunter, but you’d still be the most vulnerable,” Yunho says in a low voice. 

“Don’t say that,” San tells him lightly. “I don’t think Mingi is faring any better than I am.” Yunho frowns at his joke, clearly not in the mood. San clears his throat and tries again. “I’ll be fine. I was raised a hunter, Yunho. I know what I’m dealing with when it comes to fairies. I won’t do anything stupid, and I’ll be with the others the whole time.” 

Yunho glances around the dirty parking lot in front of the forest Hongjoong had led them to, staring at the small group that has gathered around. “I don’t trust the vampire,” he finally says. San laughs because he could have guessed that one. “And Mingi…” Yunho sighs, looking back down at the human. “He’d likely seek you out for protection if something goes wrong.” 

“I’ll be with Hongjoong too,” San reminds him. 

Yunho bites down on his bottom lip, clearly conflicted by San’s reminder. “Don’t get me wrong. I love Hongjoong, and I trust him with you, but you are not his number one priority. You are  _ my _ number one priority, and I don’t like the idea of you going in there without me.” 

“I’m not exactly on their radar,” San reminds him. “I’m going to make sure Hongjoong stays safe.” 

“That doesn’t mean—” San cuts the werewolf off by pushing himself up onto his toes to catch Yunho’s lips in a kiss. The werewolf responds immediately, leaning down to meet him and encircling his arms around the human’s smaller frame. San sighs happily when the werewolf pulls him closer. His body heats up when Yunho’s kiss becomes more intense, his lips warm and soft against San’s and his tongue licking its way into San’s mouth. 

The human pulls back with a little gasp, fingers digging into the sleeves of Yunho’s shirt. As much as he would like to stand here and kiss the werewolf silly, there is a time and place for that, and San would be lying if he said Yunho’s lips had no effect on him. “I’ll be fine,” he assures the werewolf one more time before pulling away when Hongjoong beckons him as well as Yongsun and Mingi over. 

Yunho’s jawline tenses when San pulls away from him, his fingers reaching out uselessly for the human. San tilts his head forward, acknowledging Yunho’s worries but also trying to alleviate his concern. The werewolf drops his arms to his side and steps back, and San finally turns his back to him to trot over to Hongjoong. Although Yunho may have given him silent consent, he remains unhappy as San follows Hongjoong into the forested area, off the path the humans have clearly carved for themselves. 

Seonghwa slowly makes his way over to the werewolf and tells him, “Hongjoong wants us to leave and wait for them. He doesn’t like the thought that we’re so close.” Yunho glances over to him, and Seonghwa raises his eyebrows at the hard expression on the werewolf’s face. Once upon a time, Seonghwa can honestly say he never would have expected such an expression to mar Yunho’s face, but it isn’t so surprising anymore. Not on a werewolf. “I’m not going,” he adds. 

“I’m not either,” Yunho agrees. They’re blanketed by silence for a moment. Only the sound of the wind howling and trees rustling cut through the silence of the night. Then Yunho turns to the human and asks, “What’s going on with you and Hongjoong anyways?” 

Seonghwa barks out a laugh, covering his mouth with his hand. 

  
  
  
  


“There’s a burial mound deep in this area. That’s where the Queen has taken up residence for centuries now,” Hongjoong explains to San as he points in the direction that they’re heading. He looks over at the human with a pinched expression. “Are you sure you want to come? A fae court is hardly the safest place for a human, and Yunho…” he trails off, feeling sorry for the werewolf. 

“You can stop acting like I’m a lamb being led to slaughter,” San assures him. “I know what to avoid when it comes to fairies.” 

“Don’t get too overconfident,” Yongsun pipes up from behind him. San glances at her, doing a double take when he sees the way she’s practically dragging Mingi along with her. The werewolf is shivering and shying away from every branch that he dares to venture too close to. “A fae Queen who wants something or someone can be very determined. You’d be doing yourself a favor by flying beneath her radar.”

“I wasn’t exactly planning to make myself a target,” San assures her. 

“Speaking of which, don’t you think you should explain to the rest of us exactly why your friend Seonghwa is being targeted,” Yongsun calls out to Hongjoong.

The fae falters in his steps, nearly tripping over himself before he whips his head around glare at her. “You already know,” he growls out at her. 

“Sure, I know, but they are here on your behalf as well. Should they not also be caught up to date?” 

Hongjoong’s lips twist up into a snarl as he whips his head back around to face their destination. As much as he needed her, he knew the vampire would be awful to deal with. “I know what this is about,” San interjects. 

“Do you?” Yongsun asks curiously. 

“Sure.” San shrugs his shoulders and looks over at Mingi, the only one of the group clearly lost. “Hongjoong used to be a part of this fae court, but he was banished some time ago. The Queen wanted to hurt him by trying to kill Yunho since they’re basically a pack and all.” 

Yongsun smiles at his explanation as her sharp eyes move over to Hongjoong. She’s already stabbed him in the back, so she figure she might as well twist it for maximum pain anyways. “If that’s the case, why bring you instead of his hunting partner? As I recall, you are officially retired. He is not.” 

“Well…” San trails off as he looks at Hongjoong curiously. It had been an odd exchange that first time, but lately everything about the two of them has been odd, so San isn’t so sure he can really judge. “Because he’s worried about Seonghwa,” he finally answers. “That much is obvious.” 

She grins, thoroughly enjoying San’s response. “Yes,” she agrees, “that certainly seems to be the case. I suppose you worked things out with your little lover boy then?” 

Hongjoong turns his head to look at San, a polite smile plastered on his face as he couches himself to keep his body relaxed. Posture should be open and not defensive. “Seonghwa is a target of hers along with Yunho,” he tells the human. “For reasons that are too complicated to get into right now. I preferred for him to stay back for his own safety.” 

San blinks but slowly nods his head in understanding. “Because...of your relationship with Seonghwa or something?” he clarifies. 

“Something like that,” Hongjoong says. “I’ll explain after this, but for now we need to remain focused and unified.” He gives Yongsun a pointed look at the last statement, but the vampire only grins at him. She’s more than pleased by his response to her poking and prodding. He might not have been in a fairy court for a long time, but he clearly isn’t all that rusty either.

“Here,” the fae calls out for them when they come across a small little mound. San eyes the thing curiously but keeps himself on guard. It might not have appeared all that impressive, but he knows fairies are well adept at magic. Besides, they did tend to prefer to reside in some of nature’s most interesting formations. 

Hongjoong releases a breath, rubbing his hands against his loose-fitting pants as he tries to recall how to summon himself into the court. Thankfully he doesn’t need to worry about it because someone is quick to greet them. Hongjoong takes a step back in surprise when Minho seemingly materializes in front of them and storms up to Hongjoong. 

“You’ve lost your mind,” he says to the redhead. 

“I’m doing what I need to,” Hongjoong snaps. 

Minho narrows his eyes at his old friend before looking around at the allies he’d gathered and growls out, “Oh, I know exactly what you’re doing.” 

“Then you should be on my side,” Hongjoong appeals to him. “She stripped you of your rank. If she goes, you can position yourself—”

“As if she will go!” Minho explodes, cutting the redhead off. “You might be able to scare her and her court off enough to leave you alone, but she will not be dethroned. Her court  _ supported _ these actions. And when your werewolf friend demands someone to pay for Jisung’s deed, who do you think she will send?” Hongjoong shrinks beneath Minho’s withering gaze. He hadn’t thought about that. He never thought that Minho might be the scapegoat for her this time. “You will get me killed.” 

“I won’t,” Hongjoong says meekly. 

“How can you know that?” Minho demands. “You didn’t even think about it until this second.” 

“Yes, but now I have. And I have time to think of something.” 

“Hongjoong—” 

“I have to do this,” the redhead cuts in. “I’ll do what I can, but I need to do this, Minho. She will move against me if I don’t move against her first.” 

Minho purses his lips up, his frustration evident in his expression, but before he can chew into his old friend again, Yongsun peeks her head around Hongjoong’s frame and smiles at the fae. “Then run if you are so scared,” she tells him. Hongjoong nudges her back with his elbow, but she steps out from behind him instead. Minho presses his lips together and lowers his eyes when he sees her, respectful of the vampire’s presence. “Or do you not trust an old friend’s abilities?” 

“I am not here to seek retribution for what your friend did, and I will do what I can to keep you out of it,” Hongjoong promises him. “But I need to do this. You can do whatever you need to, but I will not let you stop me here.”

Bowing his head down, Minho thinks about it for a moment before he finally steps away from the mound. In his wake a hole into the mound appears, and he gestures for them to enter. Yongsun takes the invitation first, flouncing over to the entrance and walking through. Hongjoong motions for San to follow after her. The human takes hold of Mingi’s wrist, guiding the werewolf over as well as they both enter the court as well. 

Hongjoong pauses in front of the entrance to look at Minho. “I’m sorry,” he apologizes. 

Minho breathes in deeply before releasing that breath with a shake of his head. “No, don’t be,” he tells the redhead. “I guess I’m just a little jealous.” 

“Jealous?” Hongjoong echoes. 

Minho looks at him with a kinder expression that Hongjoong can only blink at. He hasn’t seen his old friend look at him like that in over a century now. “You’ve always been able to do what you had to,” Minho compliments him “You took the banishment to spare your lover added pain, and you’d challenge our Queen to save that human of yours. But look at me.” He smiles ruefully as he looks down at himself. “I couldn’t help Jisung. I had to wait for you to do something for him, and even now I’m selfishly thinking about myself.” 

“It’s a fae’s nature,” Hongjoong tells him. “Self-preservation should be your first instinct. I cannot fault you for that.” 

“Perhaps I should take a page from your book and leave the court once and for all,” Minho remarks. “I feel as though they’ve betrayed me enough for one lifetime.” 

Hongjoong shakes his head at the suggestion. He feels for his friend. He really does, but he also knows the consequences to his suggestion, and it’s not one he would wish upon Minho. “Don’t be so hasty. Your friend still bears this court’s seal,” Hongjoong reminds him. “He’s safe for now, but so long as that mark remains the Queen will threaten him.” 

Minho frowns, finding no fault in the redhead’s argument and hating it all the more, so Hongjoong reaches out to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Maybe I won’t overthrow her today,” he says “but I promise you the effects will be felt for decades to come. Bide your time. Find your allies. You could do more in this court than you think.” 

“Duly noted,” Minho replies in a quiet voice. “Now come. Your friends are waiting for you.” 

  
  
  
  


San eyes roam along the throne rooms walls, taking in everything with deep fascination. He’s heard stories of the extravagance and excess that can only be found in a fairy court, but he’s never seen it first hand. The floors are an artful masterpiece of marble. The walls are equally as beautifully lined as they are with the roots of trees. San would have thought it would be dusty and dirty, but the throne room is immaculate. 

Yongsun and Hongjoong seem the only two unphased by the lavish set up. Mingi bumps shoulders between the two of them before he stumbles his way over to San as his eyes dart around. “Remember our short training,” Yongsun reminds him quietly. “Fairies will feed on your fear, so don’t let them.” Clearing his throat, Mingi stands up to his full height and does his best job to keep a straight face. 

A couple of fae girls stride up to them, carrying platters of food and drink. One of them offers a pastry to San, and the human hates to admit that he salivates a little at the sight of it. It looks delicious and tempting, but he shakes his head with conviction. With a gleeful smile, she moves on to Mingi who seems just a bit more tempted by the food, reaching out before he can help himself only for San to pinch him on the side. 

“Ow,” the werewolf whimpers. 

“Don’t be stupid,” San hisses at him. 

“It looked good though.” Mingi licks his lips and watches as the fae girl carries the food away from them. 

Another quickly takes her place, setting a delicate hand at the base of San’s neck. San tenses up at her touch because he hadn’t seen her coming at all. It was like she just suddenly appeared before him. Smiling at him, the fae slowly circles him like a predator sizing up its wounded prey. He fingers drag across his chest and shoulders as she goes, caressing across his back, before she finally halts in front of him again.

San swallows down his nerves as he stares at her. She’s beautiful in the way all fairies are, but San feels nothing but wary and scared of her. She leans in close to him, close enough that he feels her breath tickle his skin. “You’re quite pretty for a human,” she compliments him. San remains tense when she pulls away to eye him once more. Then she peers up at him from beneath carefully styled bangs and says, “I’d love to make you mine, but I do so hate the scent of a mutt.” 

Finally, San feels like he can relax. The reminder of Yunho helps ground him against her intimidation tactics. It helps to tell himself that he belongs to Yunho, and that it’s obvious to everyone else too. “If you don’t like the smell of werewolves I would suggest you kindly fuck off,” he says politely with a smile plastered on his face.

Her eyes flash in amusement, and her lips stretch out into a grin that reveals serrated teeth. San holds his smile until she turns around and flounces away. Only then does he release the breath he’s been holding. When he looks over to the others, Yongsun grins at him like a proud mother while Mingi looks awestruck as if he can’t believe San would have the audacity to sass a fae like that. Hongjoong, however, doesn’t appear to have even noticed. He’s staring ahead at the empty throne with narrowed eyes. 

Then Mingi asks the question that’s on all their minds, “Where’s this Queen we’re supposed to talk to?” 

“Seems appropriate to make us wait,” Yongsun comments. “It wouldn’t do for the guest of the hour to show up early.” She shrugs it off. That’s how she tends to operate at least. 

“She’s hiding,” Hongjoong whispers under his breath. Even Yongsun swivels her heard to look at the redhead as he continues to glare at the empty throne. “She’s a coward. I always knew it.” 

“Hiding from what?” San asks. 

“Us,” Hongjoong clarifies. “Me. Minho knew why we were here. It only makes sense that she knows too. That they all know. She’s probably trying to solidify her forces behind the scenes.” 

“Well, I guess it’s good to know that we scare her,” Yongsun says smugly as she crosses her arms over her chest. 

“Who is scared?” 

Mingi visibly jumps at the voice that speaks. It’s not booming in any sense, but somehow the calm and elegant voice carries through the crowd of fairies to reach them. Hongjoong glares at the immaculately dressed fae who emerges from the crowd, an older gentleman following behind her. San straightens up as he stares at her. She’s beautiful. Her glamour is flawless as she stares at the four of them with a thinly veiled glare. Her dark hair is impossibly long, with little braids added as accents.

She strides up to the unoccupied throne and gracefully seats herself down. All chattering among her court ceases at that moment before she waves a hand towards one of her attendants. Immediately, a fae scurries forward with a large goblet and makes her way towards them. She briefly glances at Hongjoong before quickly moving on to Yongsun. The vampire smiles at the proffered cup and waves her hand dismissively. She moves to Mingi who eyes the item like it’s a test. 

He looks first to San and then to Yongsun who gives the barest shake of her head. “No, thank you,” he declines politely in a small voice. 

The fae moves on to San, offering the cup up to the human. San stares down at it with a hard gaze. He might not be well versed in court traditions, but he knows danger when he sees it. Lifting his eyes up, he glares at the fae who dared to bring him such a thing and loudly rejects it. Hongjoong winces when his voice echoes through the throne room, and the Queen raises an eyebrow at his behavior. 

“It is considered rude not to at least accept a drink while at court,” she tells the human. “Won’t you indulge me?” 

“I’m not so stupid as to take anything a fairy offers me,” San retorts. “I’m not the human you wanted, so let’s not pretend as if I’ve insulted you.” 

Hongjoong sucks in a deep breath. Yes, he can definitely see now that Seonghwa definitely mentored this kid. 

“And what is it that you are implying?” 

“Let’s just get straight to the point,” Hongjoong interrupts her as he steps forward. He can at least be grateful that San is straightforward. “It’s been so long since I was in court politics, and I can honestly say I hate the pleasantries, so shall we just get to the matter at hand?” he suggests, internally beaming at the way she sneers at him. 

The man beside her leans down to speak something into her ear before she leans a little bit forward in her seat, radiating authority as she does so. “You may no longer be a part of this court, Hongjoong, but we have our traditions and we—”

“Have been causing a lot of damn trouble lately,” Hongjoong interrupts her. A murmured ripple sounds throughout her court as she sits back in her seat, expression momentarily shocked by the interruption. “You think I’m here for some petty revenge against you because you banished me over a century ago? I haven’t thought about you for a single day since then.” He relishes in the stormy expression that overcomes her features as her fingers curl around the armrest of her chair. Clearly the sentiment hasn’t been shared. 

“Then what are you here for?” she asks politely. 

“A few weeks ago a werewolf was killed,” Hongjoong announces as he briefly scans the court. They’re quiet, waiting to see what he has to say. “I was hired to investigate the incident.” 

The Queen scoffs at his proclamation. “And?” she asks dismissively. “You came all the way here to tell me about how you’ve been playing detective lately?” 

“I came here because you killed him,” Hongjoong accuses. Her gaze is cold and calculating, but the redhead spies how her fingers dig into the armrests, clearly annoyed by him. 

“I’ve done no such thing,” she answers in a measured voice. “What would I have to gain from killing a werewolf?” 

“A good question indeed,” Hongjoong doesn’t miss a single beat as he begins to pace along the floors of the throne room. “I’ll concede that you may not have directly killed him, but you did command one of yours to do the deed. That’s why I’m here,” he says as he comes to a halt in front of her throne. “Someone must pay for his blood.” 

She tilts her chin up at him and keeps her cool. “Then kill the one who did it,” she says. “It is not my problem. You have the culprit, do you not? Let his blood pay the price.  _ I _ didn’t kill anyone.”

“We won’t concede to that,” Mingi says boldly, hesitating when much of the attention turns to him. Even Hongjoong turns to stare at him, trying to gesture for the werewolf to shut up. Yongsun sends the redhead a sharp look, however, that causes Hongjoong to immediately back down. They’re supposed to be the chief plaintiffs here. They  _ should _ express their outrage at the court’s behavior. “We believed a werewolf to be behind the attacks originally. We almost blamed the wrong werewolf for the act, only to discover one our kind had been forced to commit such a heinous deed by fairies.” He looks around the court before lifting his gaze up towards the Queen who quietly stews on her throne. Puffing his chest up, Mingi’s voice booms through the throne room. “We demand  _ fairy _ blood in retribution.” 

Another murmur waves through the crowd as Hongjoong turns back to face the Queen, hiding the surprise on his face. He hadn’t expected Mingi to do such a good job. 

“Or what?” she asks coldly. “A werewolf killed yours. Why should I give you fae blood in compensation?” 

“Or we go to war,” Mingi spits out. “You can banish and torment your own all you want. Our packs are  _ family _ and you killed one of us. Give us our demands or there will be no reconciliation.” 

She shifts in her seat, and Hongjoong bites back a grin. She doesn’t like the idea, but more importantly she believes Mingi’s lies. She looks over to her side and nods her head towards one of her guards. “Very well,” she concedes to Mingi. “I offer you his charge.” 

The werewolf blanches as the fae from before is forced from the gathered crowd. Hongjoong stiffens when he meets Minho’s gaze. He’d been right. Minho knew it would come down to this because it was the easiest way out for her. Mingi looks up at Hongjoong for guidance, but the redhead scrambles to come up with something. Realistically, this should be a good deal. Mingi would get what he wants, and the Queen would come out unscathed having appeased the werewolves and gotten rid of yet another perceived enemy. Hongjoong looks back at San and Yongsun, silently pleading for another interruption, but the vampire only holds a finger up to her lips and looks over to Mingi with a knowing smile. 

“I—we refuse this offer,” Mingi says. 

“And why is that?” The Queen asks suspiciously. “You want fae blood, and I offer it. He brought that werewolf to this court to begin with. His blood should more than satisfy your pack.” 

“Look at him,” Mingi scoffs as he eyes the fae with some guilt. “He looks like he hardly holds any position of power here. This will not satisfy my Head Alpha.” 

“I can offer you no better option,” she says through gritted teeth. 

“Then consider yourselves our enemy,” Mingi declares as he points an accusing finger at her. 

She narrows her eyes but settles back on her throne with a relaxed posture. Hongjoong notes this with some concern. She’d rather take the risk, he thinks. She would rather go to war with a pack than give up someone of more importance.

“Very well,” she agrees. “I’m not scared of a pack of werewolves.” 

Minho quietly slinks back into the crowd as Yongsun steps up this time, her heels clanking along the marbled floor as she approaches the throne. “Then I suppose you wouldn’t mind going to war with my clan as well,” she muses as the Queen turns her attention to the vampire. However, she’s quiet—much quieter compared to Mingi—as she waits for Yongsun to speak first. 

“You see, almost a year ago, we had an incident with some hunters making their way into my city,” her eyes flash dangerously as she approaches the throne. A guard steps in front of her to block the way when she gets too close, much closer than the other two, and she finally has the decency to stop. “Your antics have drawn too much attention to my city. My clan will suffer as a result.” 

“I’ve done nothing—”

“Your agents are teeming within my city,” she interrupts in a cold voice. Hongjoong flinches away from her, genuinely terrified of the vampire for a moment. “More with each passing day, and might I inquire as to why that is? You’ve sent one to kill a werewolf and succeeded, yet your people remain. No, they grow in number. For what purpose are you there?” 

The Queen runs her fingers along the arm of her chair and looks up towards her advisor for guidance. Hongjoong watches her carefully. Mingi, she might have planned for, but Yongsun showing up had clearly been unexpected, and even he can tell that she will have to tread carefully with this vampire. 

“I have caused no problems for you or your clan,” she says carefully. “I would kindly ask that you stay out of my business.” 

“Then I would kindly ask you to remove all your agents and your presence from my city,” Yongsun answers back. “Or else how many more bodies do you plan to strewn across my city before you're done settling a petty score from years ago? I don’t care much about your feud with our little redhead over here,” she motions to Hongjoong, “but I will descend on you with all the might and terror of my clan if you do not remove yourself from my city. Your mere presence is a danger.” 

“Your city is equal parts human and us,” the Queen replies. “I hardly think our presence is a danger to you.” 

Yongsun turns to the guard who blocks her way, lifting a hand up to caress his neck as she admires him. “I would think a fae Queen smarter than this,” she murmurs in a pitying voice as her hand moves like a threat down the column of his neck. “Perhaps vengeance has blinded you. Perhaps you truly are stupid to the threats that lie before you.” 

“What do you speak of?” the Queen asks. 

“Do you know who the human you so desperately seek even is? Do you know who that werewolf even is?” she asks as she easily moves the guard aside with a slight push. He gasps when the force of it sends him to the floor as she strides up the few steps to the throne. 

The Queen sits back in her seat, holding her hand up to stop the vampire, but Yongsun grabs hold of her wrist. Hongjoong gapes at the display. By no means has he been respectful during this process. He had no intention of being respectful, but he is also well aware that they are deep within enemy territory. And he knew Yongsun was terrifying in her own right, but he never expected her to act as if she is the highest authority here. 

“I am much older than you, child,” the vampire hisses at her. “I knew your mother and father when they were younger. I built my sanctuary city from the ground up, and I will not tolerate it being under threat by a child who cannot even choose her fights correctly. Do. Not. Test. Me.” 

Hongjoong takes an unconscious step away from the throne. So maybe she was the highest authority here. She releases her hold on the Queen’s arm and strides down the steps of the throne as quickly as she had gone up. The room is dead quiet in the wake of her behavior. Even the guards are frozen in place. 

“Hongjoong,” Yongsun calls for the fae. “Tell her what Seonghwa is. Don’t say he’s your boyfriend, preferably,” she jokes, but Hongjoong can’t laugh at her. Not anymore. 

“He’s a hunter,” Hongjoong says slowly, breathing a quiet sigh of relief when the vampire nods her head in approval. 

“And Yunho?” 

“He is a packless werewolf,” the Queen hisses. “He is a nobody.” 

Yongsun raises her eyebrows at that. “Oh yeah?” she challenges as she turns to face San. “San,” she calls for the human, motioning for him to step forward which he sheepishly does. “Explain to everyone why kidnapping and killing a hunter and assassinating your werewolf would be very,  _ very _ bad for me.” San stares at her like she’s gone mad. He has  _ no _ idea what she’s talking about, but she tilts her head down at him encouragingly. “You convinced me,” she reminds him quietly. “Convince them too.” 

San’s gaze moves over to Hongjoong, the redhead’s expression pleading. San had come here for Yunho, worried about the werewolf’s safety if this court wanted his head just to hurt Hongjoong, but it was also more than that. Seonghwa was a target too, apparently, and it occurs to San then that  _ this _ is why Hongjoong is here. It isn’t that Yunho isn’t important or that he wouldn’t have been equally as upset, but he wouldn’t have gone to these same lengths. 

This is for Seonghwa. 

“He’s—we’re from a hunting family,” San finally says. 

“Hunters?” someone nearby him whispers in a faint voice. 

“You see, though, as far as they’re concerned we’re missing. They don’t know that we’ve been residing in that city under Yongsun’s generous permission.” The vampire positively beams at him when he says that. “If you killed Seonghwa, it would only be a matter of time before news of his death reached our family. If you killed Yunho…” he trails off as he looks over the vampire’s shoulder to meet Hongjoong’s gaze. The redhead tilts his head forward, encouraging him to continue. San had never been a part of this plan, but he won’t deny that the human could be perceived as a threat in his own right. “I wouldn’t have had anyone else to turn to. I would have told my family, and they would have descended upon that city in droves.” 

The Queen’s hands curl up into fists on top of her arm rest. “You can’t possibly have known that,” she says before turning her attention to Yongsun. “Do you honestly believe such lies? And yet you claim to be so wise.” 

“A dead body makes news,” Yongsun says simply, “a living person typically doesn’t. And someone who has lost everything is prone to recklessness. Even I am incapable of stopping that kind of information from disseminating fast enough.” 

The Queen takes in a deep breath before releasing it quietly. “Exactly what would you like me to do then?” 

“Remove all your agents from my city,” Yongsun says quickly. “I don’t want a single new murder case until that is finished. If a dead body shows up before then, I will slaughter you and your entire court. If I ever see one of yours in my city again, I will slaughter you and your entire court. Are we clear about that?” 

She sputters at the vampires demands, face turning red with embarrassment as more chatter disseminates through her court. “I—you dare threaten me in  _ my _ court?” 

“I do, little girl!” Yongsun barks out in delight. “You may be a fae Queen, but you are of little consequence to me. Or shall I let your father know what you’ve been up to? Too busy causing trouble amongst werewolves and hunters and trying to exact petty revenge on an old court fae? I’ve heard he is  _ very _ eager to unite the Seelie courts beneath him, and I wonder how he will take to some of his daughters misbehavior and weakness?”

“Very well,” she whispers out, trembling on her throne at the mention of the Unseelie King. “We will pull out of your city as you request. Now _leave_. You are not welcome here any longer.” 

Yongsun lips curl up into a smile, satisfied at the outcome, but Hongjoong isn’t finished rubbing salt into her wounds. “You’re missing something,” he reminds her. 

Her gaze snaps to him, sharp and glaring and almost unhinged. She has never been much of a leader, in Hongjoong’s opinion, rising to her position slowly off the lineage of her blood. It still gave her power within her court, of course, or at least it did. Hongjoong wonders what the fall out within the court will be like when this is over. But she clearly didn’t hold a candle to those with real power like Yongsun, Hongjoong is quickly coming to realize. 

“What do you want?” she snaps at him.

Smiling, he nods his head towards Mingi. “They still require a criminal.” 

“I have declared war with them!” she growls back as unrest begins to grow in her court. Clearly, that is no longer a popular opinion. 

“Then I will stand by the pack,” Yongsun declares easily. “If they go to war with you, they will have my allegiance.” 

She shrinks back into her throne, the color draining from her face at the threat. “What? Why?” Yongsun only smiles cryptically in response. 

“Hand over a  _ suitable _ surrogate,” Hongjoong demands. “Or are you willing to go to war?” The Queen looks across her court with a worried gaze. The whispers are hard to ignore but worse than that, who could she send that wouldn’t cost her? 

“Shall I pick?” Yongsun asks, perking up with interest. 

“No,” the Queen says sharply. “No. Only I know who could be a suitable candidate.” She looks across the court again as her nails dig into the wood of her throne. 

“How about you pick then, Hongjoong?” Yongsun suggests as she turns to the redhead. “Surely you also know whose blood would be fair.” 

“ _No_ ,” the Queen says again, more forcefully this time, but Hongjoong doesn’t even hesitate as he lifts a finger up to point at the man standing next to her. An older gentleman with white hairs peppering his hair. With a squeal, the vampire dives for him although it’s not necessary. He doesn’t try to run as the vampire leads him back to the four of them. 

“I thought you didn’t come here for petty revenge,” he remarks as he stares down at Hongjoong. 

The redhead only smiles at him. “I didn’t come for revenge,” he assures the older fae, “but your Queen truly just handed it to me on a silver platter. I always told you I’d get you for what you did to me, and I’ll make sure those werewolves give you a slow and painful death.”

“This court will be in ruins without me,” he says. 

“Ask me if I care,” Hongjoong snorts. “You were the one who got me banished in the first place.” 

Yongsun shoves him over to Mingi who yelps a little as he catches the fae into a bear hug, cheering and jeering at the werewolf as she guides him out of the throne room. San looks over at Hongjoong before he motions towards Mingi and Yongsun, a silent inquiry, but the fae shakes his head as he ascends the stairs up to the throne instead.

The Queen leans back from him as he approaches her, and he leans down until they’re eye-level with each other. Hongjoong carefully studies her face for a moment, not the least bit satisfied at the anger and defeat he sees in her eyes. Maybe it’s because at one point in his life he had tried his best to make her court into something great. 

“Did you really think I was an Unseelie agent?” 

She scoffs at his question. “Despite what you think, I am not a fool, Hongjoong.” 

“Then why did you do that to me?” 

She takes a deep breath. “You might not have been an Unseelie agent, but I always thought you were a threat to my throne. I know you never thought of me as a good leader. I did what I had to to get rid of you. I just wanted your human toy to make that extra clear.” 

Hongjoong quietly seethes with anger that doesn’t quite make it to his voice when he says, “You aren’t a good leader, but I did what I could to support you. I never had any ambitions to unseat you.” 

“Then what do you call this?” she hisses at him. 

“You did this,” Hongjoong retorts. “I haven’t thought about you once in the years I’ve been courtless, but I did think a lot about what you did to me. I agonized over my loss for years.” He clenches his teeth together as he glares at her, his anger finally seeping through. “And then you wanted to do it all over again. You tried to kill my family, and take Seonghwa from me. You messed with my own, and I paid you back in kind. Is that not the fair folk way?” 

Her nose scrunches up as she pulls her lips back into a sneer. “Where did you even get allies like that?” 

Hongjoong lifts himself back up with a little grin, turning to look at San who’s still waiting for him at the base of the throne. “What can I say? I suppose I never lost my touch with diplomacy.” 

  
  
  
  


“Do you think that will be the end of this?” San asks as they make the trek back towards the parking lot. Mingi and Yongsun have gone far ahead of them, leaving San and Hongjoong to catch up. 

The redhead looks over to the human who stares at him quizzically. “I owe you an explanation, don’t I?” 

“I—” San sputters before blinking. “I, yeah. I guess so.” 

“I love Seonghwa,” he blurts out before he can even really think about it. It feels both relieving and odd to confess like this to San. The human clearly feels the same way because he stares at Hongjoong with an uncomprehending expression. It’s the first time he’s really expressed these feelings truthfully which is relieving, but it’s also demonstrably bizarre to have done so to San of all people. 

“Wait,” San pauses when Hongjoong’s words finally sink in for him. “Are you and Seonghwa dating?” 

“Yes, sort of. I think.” Hongjoong scratches at his head as he continues to walk back his answer. 

“Since when?” 

“Not too long ago, but, um, since always too.” 

San furrows his eyebrows together, clearly lost by Hongjoong’s explanation. “Is that why you said Seonghwa was a potential target? Because she knew about it?” 

“Yeah,” Hongjoong confirms. 

“Then they’re safe now, right? Yunho and Seonghwa.” 

Hongjoong hesitates before finally settling on, “Yeah, they are. The court will be in shambles after this. They won’t have time to try and make a move on us, and anyways, you heard Yongsun. If they step foot in her city again they’re dead.” 

San shivers at the reminder of the vampire’s threat. “I always got a feeling that she was, like, old, you know?” he says with a shake of his head. “I didn’t know she was that old and terrifying though.” 

“You convinced her to advocate for us though,” Hongjoong reminds him. “Thank you for that, by the way. Without her…” he doesn’t need to finish the thought because it’s clear to the both of them. Without her the plan would have quickly fallen apart. “And thank you for being there. It—it was oddly comforting to have a hunter there.” 

San grins at him lopsidedly. “I was defenseless though.” 

“That didn’t matter. Your presence was enough.” He smiles at San as he feels warmth bloom in his chest. He has, admittedly, never really liked the human. It had been an outright hatred at first for the danger he put Yunho in as a hunter. He came to begrudgingly accept the human’s presence after Yunho chose to settle down here, obstinately referring to San as his mate. Hongjoong knew he would have to just accept the fact. But now, the fae can honestly say that he likes the human. He’s glad that San was there for him. 

San holds his hand out to the redhead as an offer, and Hongjoong stares down at it curiously. “Take good care of Seonghwa for me,” San requests, wiggling his fingers to ask for a handshake. 

The fae laughs at him before he takes hold of San’s hand and gives it a firm shake. “Do the same for Yunho and you’ll have yourself a deal,” he counters. 

  
  
  
  


Hongjoong peers up over the top of their current case file to watch Seonghwa curse and abuse the little coffee machine in their office. The human fiddles with a part of it and just barely holds back a scream when that piece breaks off. 

“I thought you said you fixed this,” he accuses the fae, banging the top of the machine a couple more times for good measure. Surprisingly, it doesn’t help to produce any coffee. 

“I did fix it,” Hongjoong insists as he digs his nose back into the case file. 

“Does it look like it’s fixed?” 

Sighing, the fae sets the file down on his desk so he can cross his arms over his chest. He stares pointedly at the part that Seonghwa had broken off and says, “It looks to me like you’re slowly tearing the poor thing apart.” 

“It’s already broken,” Seonghwa sniffs as he casually tosses that part into the trash. 

Pushing his chair back, Hongjoong stands up from his desk and walks around the side of it to make his way to Seonghwa. He plucks the empty mug from the humans hand before setting it down in front of the coffee machine. “Now watch carefully,” Hongjoong warns him. “I don’t want to go over this a second time.” 

Seonghwa watches curiously as the fae crouches down to the machine and fiddles with a few of the buttons. He cocks an eyebrow, expecting nothing to happen only for the machine to suddenly whir to life. 

“What the—” he sputters as coffee begins dispensing itself into his mug. “How the hell did you do that? It’s _broken_.” 

Grining, Hongjoong turns to face the human and smugly says, “Fae magic.” 

“Bullshit,” Seonghwa calls, waiting impatiently for his coffee. “I’m getting a new machine. This one is broken and apparently can only run on fae magic.” 

“No!” Hongjoong protests sharply at the notion of a new coffee machine. “You can’t get a new one.” 

Seonghwa blinks at his demand. “And why not?” 

“Because then what will you need me for?” Hongjoong pouts. 

“Oh, don’t be so overdramatic,” Seonghwa scolds him, catching the fae around the waist when he tries to sulk off. He pulls Hongjoong in closer and croons into his ear, “I’ll always need you.” 

“Ugh,” the fae makes a noise of disgust. “When did you get so corny?” 

“What? You don’t like it?” Seonghwa asks, tucking Hongjoong’s head beneath his chin as he thinks of a new one. “Shall I call you my knight in shining armor instead? Since you saved me from your fairy court and all?” 

“I hate you,” Hongjoong declares as he pulls back to glare up at the human. Seonghwa only grins back in response, his coffee completely forgotten. 

Hongjoong still hasn’t said those words to Seonghwa yet. _I love you_. They’re not easy to get out, and Hongjoong is a little scared to in some ways. He used to speak those words so easily once upon a time, but they felt like they meant almost nothing in the aftermath. He loved someone once, but what did it mean with his death? Hongjoong digs his fingers into Seonghwa’s shirt as the human’s smile falls a little when he gets the distinct impression that something is wrong. 

Seonghwa leans down to press a kiss to the corner of Hongjoong’s lips, effectively snapping the fae out of his thoughts as he blinks up at the human. “You okay?” he asks when he has the fae’s attention. 

“Yeah,” Hongjoong says after a short pause, but he means it and Seonghwa can tell. “Yeah, I’m okay.” 

Maybe he hasn’t said those words to Seonghwa yet, but this time he has a whole lifetime to get there. 

**Author's Note:**

> I was advised that smaller-ish stories are easier to digest, so I feed this to you guys in small handfuls


End file.
